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Ane Brun

Aug 23 2011

Born Ane Brunvoll on March 10, 1976, this singer/song-writer, guitarist, and vocalist was born in Molde, Norway. She made her debut in 2003 and has since recorded 6 albums. Brun has lived in Stockholm, Sweden for the last 10 years. She runs her own record label, Balloon Ranger Records, when she is not on tour.

When she was about 20 years old, Brun left her hometown of Molde and traveled back and forth between Oslo, Bergen, and Barcelona. My guess is she spent summers in Norway and the rest of the year in Barcelona;) In Bergen, she studied music, law, and Spanish at the University. She clearly had a strong passion for Spain and Spanish. During this time in her life, she worked at shops and bars to make a living. It was also during this time that she began writing her own music.

Brun began to take her music very seriously after she felt success with a few demos in Bergen. She moved to Uppsala, Sweden in 2001 and thus began her professional music journey. She says that she never dreamt of being a famous musician until she was about 26 or 27. Like many of us, she did not find her career path until almost the age of 30.

In 2003, Brun took home the Norwegian Grammy Aware for Best Female Artists for her song A Temporary Dive. My favorite song of Ane’s is the piece she did with Madrugada, another Norwegian group, called Lift Me. You can listen to it . She earned another Grammy for this song.

If you live in Europe, you should check out Ane Brun’s tour dates:

2011-10-01Helsinki at Tavastia
2011-10-04Stockholm at Cirkus
2011-10-06Oslo at Sentrum Scene
2011-10-07Göteborg at Trädgår’n
2011-10-08Malmö at Palladium
2011-10-09Berlin at Babylon
2011-10-12Vienna at Porgy & Bess
2011-10-13München at Freiheiz
2011-10-14Zurich, at Kaufleuten

I encourage you also to check out Brun’s blog here. She is extremely down to earth and her posts are really fun to read. In one, she complained about the terrible heat and humidity in Houston, Texas when she was on tour there. She also said that Vail, Colorado reminded her of her hometown in Norway and said that she wants to get back there soon. It must be difficult to be on tour for months and months at a time, especially during the Norwegian summer!

Her new album, It All Starts with One comes out in September:)

Ja Vi Elsker Dette Landet-Norwegian National Anthem

Posted by kari 2 Comments

May 19 2011

Gratulerer med dagen, Norge! Happy Birthday Norway! Tuesday was Norway´s 197th birthday-the first being May 17, 1814 when the Constitution was signed at Eidsvoll. Syttende Mai (pronounced ´soot (like ´foot´)-ene-my´is the largest celebration in Norway all year long. Families and friends gather to eat, drink, and show their patriotism for their country. Of the year´s time that I have spent in Norway, 17. mai is certainly one of the most fond memories.

When I´m at home in Minnesota, I typically attend some sort of 17. mai event, such as frokost (breakfast) at my Alma Mater, St. Olaf, or perhap´s I´ll attend a Norwegian Department event. Regardless of how I choose to celebrate, the national anthem is usually involved. Those of you who are familiar with Norwegian culture probably have heard `Ja Vi Elsker´before. One of ´De fire store´(The Four Great), Bjørnson is recognized in the same league as Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland. Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson wrote the lyrics to ´Ja Vi Elsker´ between 1858 and 1869. There are 8 modernized and translated verses as follows:

JA, VI ELSKER DETTE LANDET(Yes, we love this country)

1
Ja, vi elsker dette landet,	Yes, we love this country
som det stiger frem,	as it rises forth,
furet, værbitt over vannet,	rugged, weathered, above the sea,
med de tusen hjem.	with the thousands of homes.
Elsker, elsker det og tenker	Love, love it and think
på vår far og mor	of our father and mother
og den saganatt som senker	and the saga night that sends
drømmer på vår jord.	dreams to our earth.
og den saganatt som senker	and the saga night that sends
senker drømmer på vår jord.	sends dreams to our earth.

2
Dette landet Harald berget	This country Harald united
med sin kjemperad,	with his army of heroes,
dette landet Håkon verget	this country Håkon protected
medens Øyvind kvad;	whilst Øyvind sung;
Olav på det landet malte	upon the country Olav painted
korset med sitt blod,	with his blood the cross,
fra dets høye Sverre talte	from its heights Sverre spoke
Roma midt imot.	up against Rome.


3
Bønder sine økser brynte	Farmers their axes sharpened
hvor en hær dro frem,	wherever an army advanced,
Tordenskiold langs kysten lynte,	Tordenskiold along the coastline thundered
så det lystes hjem.	so that we could see it back home.
Kvinner selv stod opp og strede	Even women stood up and fought
som de vare menn;	as if they were men;
andre kunne bare grede,	others could only cry
men det kom igjen!	but that soon would end!


4
Visstnok var vi ikke mange,	Sure, we were not many
men vi strakk dog til,	but we were enough,
da vi prøvdes noen gange,	when we were tested sometimes,
og det stod på spill;	and it was at stake;
ti vi heller landet brente	we would rather burn our land
enn det kom til fall;	than to declare defeat;
husker bare hva som hendte	just remember what happened
ned på Fredrikshald!	down at Fredrikshald!


5
Hårde tider har vi døyet,	Hard times we have coped with,
ble til sist forstøtt;	were at last disowned;
men i verste nød blåøyet	but in the worst distress, blue-eyed
frihet ble oss født.	freedom was to us born.
Det gav faderkraft å bære	It gave (us) father’s strength to carry
hungersnød og krig,	famine and war,
det gav døden selv sin ære -	it gave death itself its honour -
og det gav forlik.	and it gave reconciliation.


6
Fienden sitt våpen kastet,	The enemy threw away his weapon,
opp visiret for,	up the visor went,
vi med undren mot ham hastet,	we, in wonder, to him hastened,
ti han var vår bror.	because he was our brother.
Drevne frem på stand av skammen	Driven forth to a stand by shame
gikk vi søderpå;	we went to the south;
nu vi står tre brødre sammen,	now we three brothers stand united,
og skal sådan stå!	and shall stand like that!


7
Norske mann i hus og hytte,	Norseman in house and cabin,
takk din store Gud!	thank your great God!
Landet ville han beskytte,	The country he wanted to protect,
skjønt det mørkt så ut.	although things looked dark.
Alt hva fedrene har kjempet,	All the fights fathers have fought,
mødrene har grett,	and the mothers have wept,
har den Herre stille lempet	the Lord has quietly moved
så vi vant vår rett.	so we won our rights.


8
Ja, vi elsker dette landet,	Yes, we love this country
som det stiger frem,	as it rises forth,
furet, værbitt over vannet,	rugged, weathered, above the sea,
med de tusen hjem.	with those thousand homes.
Og som fedres kamp har hevet	And as the fathers’ struggle has raised
det av nød til seir,	it from need to victory,
også vi, når det blir krevet,	even we, when it is demanded,
for dets fred slår leir.	for its peace will encamp (for defence).

Typically only the 1st and last two verses are sung. This anthem is naturally quite historical in nature, but it is also very much political. Bjørnson (1832-1910) grew up in a time of political unrest. Norway had indeed operated under her own Constitution for decades, but was still not an independent country. The Union with Sweden dissolved just 5 years prior to Bjørnson´s death. He was a vivid spokesman for the Norwegian Left-Wing Movement.

Bjørnson focused a lot of his energy towards the revival of the Norwegian language that had become so influenced by Danish (from the hundreds of years of the Kalmar Union). Bjørnson supported Ivar Aasen in his quest to research and collect the Norwegian dialects in his mission to create a bondemål (national language) from old Norwegian.

Interestingly enough, there was another verse in the National Anthem:

Kongen selv staar stærk og aapen

som vaar Grænsevagt

og hans allerbedste Vaapen

er vor Broderpagt.

In English this reads:

The King himself stands strong and open

As our border guard

and his most powerful weapon

is our brethren pact.

The verse was a tribute to the acceeded monarch Carl XV. Bjørnson deleted this verse after the ideal of a Unified Scandinavia was shattered.

´Ja Vi Elsker´is sung proudly by Norwegians. Did you know that the first 7 notes are the same as the traditional Christmas Carol ´Deck the Halls´? Americans sing a little piece of ´Ja Vi Elsker every year:)

Norwegian Country Group Hellbillies

Posted by kari No Comments

Mar 20 2011

The Hellbillies are my favorite Norwegian country music. In fact, they are my favorite country music band (which isn’t exactly too big of a feat because country is probably my least favorite musical genre…). I first heard them as a sophomore in college thanks to my good friend who was half Norwegian. His family comes from northern Norway and as far as I can tell, country music is more popular the farther north one goes in Norway. The Hellbillies’ lyrics are sung in a dialect from Hallingdal, Norway, a region in the middle of the country.

The group formed in 1990 and consists of 8 members:

Aslag Haugen – Lead vocals, guitar, writing the music on most of the tracks.
Arne Henry Sandum – Electric bass-guitar
Lars Haavard Haugen – Lead guitar, resonator guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, pedal steel etc.
Bjørn Gunnar Sando – Drums
Arne Moslåtten – Acoustic guitar, flute, lyricist

Keyboards/Piano/Organ at concerts:

Lasse Hafreager
Trond Nagell Dahl
Lars Christian Nærum

I absolutely love Aslag’s voice. It is so strong and distinctive. The song (above) is called ”Den Redde” and “Leitte etter Lykka” from their new album.

Some of my other favorite songs that Hellbillies sing are:

“Den finaste eg veit”

and “Ei Krassfaren Steinbu”

What do you think? Enjoy!

Cantus Choral Ensemble at Mindekirken in Minneapolis

Posted by kari 2 Comments

Mar 8 2011

I attended a superb concert yesterday at ‘den norske lutherske‘ (the Norwegian Lutheran) Mindekirken Church in Minneapolis yesterday. It was a nice blast from the past as I taught an adult Norwegian class there several years ago. Although it isn’t in the greatest location, the Church is beautiful. It was built in 1922 an and looks great to this day. Wood floors, beautiful stained glass windows, and of course the Norwegian flag adorn the sanctuary. All throughout the rest of the church there are pictures of Norway and the Norwegian-Americans who founded the church and have supported it through the years.

My previous endeavors in the church took place in the basement classrooms and dining hall, so it was nice to sit in the balcony and hear the music fill the sanctuary. These women have phenomenal voices. Their group, Cantus, consists of about 30 women from the ages of 20 to 40. They are on tour in the midwest until March 13. Check out their website to see if you can catch a concert! They all reside in Trondheim, although just a glance at their bunads would tell you they come from many different places in Norway. There were only 2 bunad styles that were alike. They are always fun to look at when you see many of them together. Bunads truly are amazing traditional attire and the fact that they are still worn so much still today is pretty cool.

Check out the ‘Norwegian’ page on facebook to see all 5 of the videos that I took at the concert. Tove Ramlo-Ystad conducts this fantastic group of women. You’ll notice a tubaist, Øystein Baadsvik, in several of the songs. He is the world’s only freelance tuba soloist according to the concert program. Pretty cool! He was really impressive. I had not heard so many different noises come out of a tuba before! I encourage you to check both Cantus and Øystein out!

The Christian Radich-Norwegian tall ship

Posted by kari 1 Comment

Feb 27 2011

I probably never would have heard of the Christian Radich were it not for my father whose dream it is to sail on this ship. The Christian Radich is a Norwegian full rigged ship with 3 masts that accommodate 27 sails (14, 600 square feet of sail!). The ship is 240 feet long including the bow and has a 15 foot long draught and is designed for a crew of 18 sailors. 88 passengers can comfortably fit aboard.

So why is this ship such a big deal?

Named after it´s owner, the Christian Radich was built by Framnæs Mekaniske Verksted in Sandefjord, Norway, and launched in 1937. It’s primary purpose was to train sailors for the merchant marines, which it did for many years. However, it was through it’s role in cinema and TV that the Christian Radich became so well known. In 1958, it appeared in the Cinemiracle film ´Windjammer,´ the story of 50 young Norwegian boys who sail from Oslo across the Atlantic and to the United States in a training effort to teach them the art of sailing and seamanship, as well as demonstrate the value of trust and teamwork.

On the journey across the Atlantic, the ship stops in several ports of call including Madeira (Portugal), Willamstad (Curacao), San Juan (Puerto Rico), New York City, Boston, and New Orleans. In addition to cultural experiences in all of these ports, the boys also encounter a U.S. Navy task force.

Christian Radich in the New York Harbor

There is a song in the film called ´Kari Waits for Me´ which you can listen to here:

My Dad is slightly obsessed with this movie and with sailing as well, so it makes sense that he got the idea for my name from this movie. As I am also into sailing (to the credit of my Dad) and clearly into Norway as well, it is fitting that I was named after a girl in a Norwegian sailing movie:)

I thought I had done a really great job with the gift I got my Dad for Christmas. He had always talked about wanting to buy the original Windjammer movie from 1958, but could not find it anywhere. Well, silly me thought I found it on Amazon, of all places, so I bought it and gave it to him with a copy of the original Cinemiracle poster of the movie. As it turns out, he was right. It is virtually impossible for the average person to locate this movie on disc anywhere. It sounds like it will take a very wealthy person to provide funds to reproduce this movie into a format suitable for viewing today and available for purchase.

After I gave this incorrect version of the film to my Dad, he got back on the research train and discovered that the original crew members from the movie got together in Oslo not too long ago to view the film together. He said he would have paid gobs of money to be there.

If you have any insight into this original movie and how it may be possible to view it, or miraculously purchase it, please do share with us!!

And click here to see the official website for Christian Radich. You can actually pay to be a crew member on this ship:)

And the lyrics for the song Kari Waits for Me:

Stork Ejlaender Shantykor

Forebitter

5. udgave 2007

KARI WAITS FOR ME

2 ganger (two times)

Blow! Ye trade winds, Fill the sails.

Oh! Blow ye trade winds, blow.

Blow thro’ the stormy gales

And homeward we will go.

Homeward to the snow capped mountains

Rising from the sea.

Homeward to the land I love

Where Kari waits for me.

Solo

Kari waits for me at home, Oh!

Kari waits for me.

I see her standing there

Beside the restless sea!

Kari waits for me at home,

Tho’ I must sail the sea.

I’m a sailor born to roam

While Kari waits for me.

Many girls in far off lands

Have many charms to see,

They’ll not wear my golden bands

While Kari waits for me.

Let me ride the homeward winds

That carry me to shore.

Till the day when I can hold my Kari,

Kari girl once more.

Solo allersidst (last solo)

Kari waits for me!

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