by Brian Griffiths, Mar 9th 2010
Spinner - Hogni is an acclaimed artist from the
Faroe Islands set to make his US debut at this
year's SXSW (South By Southwest music festival in
Austin, US). The singer-songwriter released his
latest album, 'Hogni Hare! Hare!,' on Mahogni Music
in 2008, marking his third release since the end of
his drumming gig with Clickhaze in 2002. Spinner
woke up early to speak to the Denmark resident about
life as a solo artist and his upcoming trip to
Austin.
Anna Nygaard, Faroese singer, performed at Danish
X-Factor 2010 Live Show 4 Friday evening with the big UK
hit American Boy - and won the hearts of
the Danish people again. This week she was the first
to go through to the next round.
Watch another amazing performance by Anna - with
rapper Kuku Agami - here:
Music Interview Mar 05, 2010:
Interview With Singer/Songwriter
Guðrið Hansdóttir
by Jen Kessler, Mar 2nd 2010 Singer-songwriter Gudrid Hansdottir has been
gracing Scandinavia with her floaty, soulful blend
of pop and folk since her solo debut in 2007. The
Faroe Islands native released her second album --
'The Sky is Opening' -- in June 2009, and the record
earned her Album of the Year from the Faroese Planet
Awards. Spinner recently spoke with Hansdottir about
her upcoming SXSW performance. Listen to her music
here:
http://www.myspace.com/gudridhansdottir
Anna Nygaard - the Faroese participant in the
Danish X-Factor show - made it again yesterday
evening! Anna performed on stage with the rock song
'Fighter' by Christina Aquilera. This was the third
Live Show of the Danish song competition and the
voters made sure that Anna made it again to the next
round next weekend - now with only 6
participants left!
The Faroese band Budam with the charismatic singer Búi
Dam as the front figure is gaining increasing popularity in
France where the band has been on tour. In
october 2009 they where interviewed by a Franch magazine,
L'oreille à l'envers, which is about the alternative music
scene. The interview was made in English and can be viewed
on the magazine's website in five parts - with a French
translation.
Two Faroese Musicians To South by Southwest Festival in
Austin, US
Podcast Episode 43 is out! There's not really any
dancing in this podcast, but there is a lot of singing. The
Podcast checks in with Høgni and Guðrið Hansdóttir, who are
both playing at this year's South by Southwest music
festival in Austin, Texas. And we'll also see how Anna
Nygaard is doing on Denmark's X Factor. Guests: Høgni Lisberg (www.hogni.com or
www.myspace.com/hognilisberg)
Guðrið Hansdóttir (www.myspace.com/gudridhansdottir
)
Faroese singer, Anna Nygaard, made it again this weekend
at the Danish X-Factor Show! She is through to another
round. Watch her latest amazing performance singing the
Michael Jackson song "What ever happens":
Music News Feb 16, 2010:
Remember The Old 'Hit' "Farewell Faroe Islands"?
An old song from the mid-eighties made by German composer Karl-Heinz Merkel sung by the
singer Cherry Laine has been saved from oblivion, now it has
been posted on YouTube. Cherry Laine's "Farewell Faroe
Islands" is from 1985 and was a bit of a hit in Denmark.
Cherry Laine is probably best
known in Scandinavia for the song "No More Mondays".
Anna Nygaard, the Faroese participant in the Danish
X-Factor Show made it this weekend to the next round. The
Danish voters made sure that they will see her perform again
at the show next weekend. Watch Anna Nygaard perform another Amy Whinehouse song
"You know I'm no good" this Friday 13 Feb 2010:
Music News 8 Feb 2010:
Synarchy Releases Two New Songs On MySpace
Faroese heavy metal band Synarchy who's motto is: "Live
and breathe for the Metal" just posted the demos of two of
the featured songs from the upcoming album "Scars of
Gratitude" up on Myspace! The 12-track album is currently
being mixed and mastered at Hansen studios in Denmark.
Tonight is the big night - both in Denmark and in Iceland
- where the final pre-selections will take place!
Denmark: Jens Marni - Gloria
Listen to Jens Marni Hansen sing the song Gloria - the
Faroese participant in "Melodi Grand Prix" the Danish
pre-selection to determine the country's representative at
the Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo in May 2010..
Listen here:
Iceland: Jógvan - One More Day
Watch Jógvan Hansen sing the song One More Day - the
Faroese participant in "Søngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins" the 2nd
semi-final at the Icelandic pre-selection to determine the
country's representative at the Eurovision Song Contest in
Oslo in May 2010.
Watch here:
Music Interview, 4 Feb 2010:
Jens Marni speaks to Escdaily.com
Eurovision Song Contest Pre-Selection in
Denmark
Jens Marni is one of the ten participants of Dansk Melodi
Grand Prix which will be held this Saturday. The Faroese
singer took some time to talk to Escdaily about his
participation, his career, his future and of course
Eurovision.
Sheila Doki of Metalholic.com conducted an interview with
guitarist/vocalist Heri Joensen of Faroese Viking metallers
TÝR before the band's January 22, 2010 concert at Ridglea
Theater in Fort Worth, Texas as the support act for
KORPIKLAANI. Watch the chat in two parts below.
In anticipation of the final of Söngvakeppni Sjónvarpsins
2010, Iceland's pre-selection to determine the country's
representative at the Eurovision Song Contest 2010,
esctoday.com provides interviews of all six participants
competing for the honour of representing Iceland in Oslo.
The national final will be held this Saturday, February 6th.
The series of interviews kicks off with Jógvan Hansen.
First Release of Music Artists' Names at the G! Festival
The G! Festival has released some of the artists' names
the public is going to experience at the festival this
summer.
This years line up is Lucy
Love (DK), Moto Boy (SE), Afenginn (DK), TÝR, Brandur Enni, Analog
Norð, Froðbiarsóknar Bluesorkestur. Read more here:
http://www.gfestival.fo/index.php?id=265
Music Interview, 22 Jan 2010:
SIC: From the Middle of Nowere
By Andreas Torneberg, Jan 22, 2010:
"SIC from Faeroe Islands just stand in front of the release
of their second album, more angry and wild than their first
production from 2007. In 2009 nominated for a Best Death Metal
Award this band has the power to enrich the scene with a lot of
energy and awesome metal. Eddie Jacobsen, founder and guitarist
of the band, tells about plans, future, metal and life before
death."
Listen to an interview with Anna Nygaard from the Danish
X-Factor Show in The Danish Radio Station The Voice.
- It's in Danish, of course, so you might not
understand, but you can also hear Anna give a sample of
her absolutely wonderful singing talent!
Three Faroese music artists are represented in big
song contests in other countries at the moment.
- Anna Nygaard
participates in the Danish X-Factor Show.
- Jógvan Hansen participates
in the local Eurovision Song Contest in Iceland.
- Jens Marni
Hansen participates in the local Eurovision Song Contest in Denmark.
Watch Anna
Nygaard sing the song "At Last" by Etta James for the judges in the
Danish X-Factor Show here:
;
Listen to Jógvan Hansen sing the song he will perform at the Eurovision Song Contest in Iceland
HERE.
Hear more at Jógvan Hansen's MySpace page:
www.myspace.com/jogvanmusic
Jens Marni Hansen can be heard at his MySpace page here:
www.myspace.com/jensmarni
Music Review, 9 Jan 2010
Týr's Album:
By The Light Of The Norhtern Star
By Spirit-Of-Metal’s Vinrock666 , 9 Jan 2010: "As strong of an album Tyr’s 2009 LP release “By the Light of the
Northern Star” is, the greatest characteristic isn’t from their music
but rather from the broadened scope of their subject matter."
This is Tori Taff's blog. She calls it BabyBloomr Blog. Tori is
Russ Taff's wife - the famous christian music artist. Here's a
quote from the blog comment about the Faroes:
"It dang near killed Madi to not be able to go with her dad this
time, but we are hoping we can travel there again as a family before
too long. It really is a magical place - Madi says it looks like
Narnia".
The band ORKA is an experimental rock band from the
Faroe Islands. It's specialty is to build and play homemade instruments made out of things
found in a barn - like a fence pole and a cement mixer. The band
will perform today at the main scene, Grand Theatre, at the big
Eurosonic Festival in Groningen, Nederlands. Read more here:
www.noorderslag.nl/en/festival/act/noorderslag/act/orka or at
the bands on MySpace page:
www.myspace.com/orkaonline
Music News 14 Jan 2010:
Stanley Samuelsen, Faroese music artist in US TV
Stanley Samuelsen, Faroese singer and guitar
virtuoso, played at the Morning TV Show
in My Fox, Austin this morning. View here:
Stanley Samuelsen's music touches on many different styles,
including blue grass and country. His music is heavily inspired by
British and US guitarists such as John Renbourn and Stephen Stills.
Stanley is a talented multilingual singer from the Faroe Islands who
can perform in English, Faroese, Danish and Swedish.
His career began in the earliy '60s laying lead guitar in a rock 'n
roll band. In the '70s and '80s he began writing his own music and
played with many different bands.
Interview and live music (!) with Stanley Samuelsen, Faroese Musician
This special edition of the podcast features music and talk with
Faroese musician and composer Stanley Samuelsen. Stanley recorded
exclusive live versions of some of his songs for this podcast. This
one's not to be missed. Guest: Stanley Samuelsen (www.myspace.com/stanleysamuelsen)
By
Paul Sullivan - Saturday 2 January 2010: "Fancy something less commercial than Glasto or Benicàssim? Then try the
Faroes' G! Festival, with its quirky bands and amazing setting."
Dec 2009:
"The Faroe Islands thrashers talk to Metal as Fuck about
touring, playing, their influences, and, of course, their
upcoming album Fighters They Bleed. Raw, massive, dirty,
intense, powerful and in your face’ is how SIC guitarist Eddie
Jacobsen describes their sound, promising this is especially
true of their new stuff. "
This time out, the podcast wraps up the scene at the Summer Festival in Klaksvik.
Producer Tollak Hansen speaks with Páll Finnur Páll and Frændur about being
musicians on the Faroes and why both bands chose to write only in Faroese. Guests: Finnur Jensen ( http://www.myspace.com/pallfinnurpall )
Eyðun Nolsøe ( http://www.myspace.com/fraendur )
Reknown American Composer Worked With Faroese Musicians For 20 Years
On this podcast, Matthew Workman speaks with Edgar Struble, an American musician and composer
who has been producing Faroese country acts for 20 years. We also drive across a
bridge alleged to span the Atlantic Ocean. Live image of bridge "Across the
Atlantic":
http://www.portal.fo/cam/webcam.php?kamera=120 Guest: Edgar Struble ( http://www.edgarstruble.net )
This week, we devote our entire podcast to a live performance and conversation
with Marius. Hear songs from his upcoming album and listen to
him talk about his new sound and why he was away from the Faroese music scene.
Guest: Hans Marius Ziska and his band
(http://www.myspace.com/mariusband)
By Jude Rogers, 8 October 2009
"Some say Teitur should be a star by now – but the Faroese singer is
more concerned with craft than prestige. Midnight in high summer in
Tórshavn, the capital of the Faroe islands. The sky is a pale, milky
blue, and mountains describe deep arcs from the sea to that sky. And, in
his red house on the coast, we find Teitur, playing the tunes on his
iPod that he believes sum him up."
This week, we speak with Linda Andrews, the
Faroese singer who won the big prize on the Danish version of "X Factor."
We talk with Linda about her experiences on the show and how her life has been
after winning. Also, we visit the village of Gasadalur, one of the most pristine
and beautiful villages in the Faroes. Guest: Linda Andrews, singer (www.myspace.com/misslindaandrews)
By Marc Vincenz -
sep 2009:
"It’s around 2.00 am the morning after the G! Festival, Faeroe
Island’s mini-equivalent to Britain’s Glastonbury Music Festival.
Here in a converted private home which acts as the festival’s
backstage lounge, among record peddlers, producers, weathered studio
musicians, avant-garde composers, singer-songwriters, Faeroe
politicians (mostly those who think they’re in the know), we chew
the proverbial whale blubber and do our utmost to clear what’s left
in the bar."
On The Trail Of Teitur - The Biggest Pop Star In, Er, The
Faroe Islands
By James McMahon,24 Aug 2009
"Somewhere in the Faroe Islands, about 15 miles taxi ride from
the capital city of Torshavn - although the word ‘city’ has
grand connotations Torshavn doesn’t really deliver on - down by
the sea, next to a swarm of puffins, in a small rusty red house
at the foot of a mountain and next to a horse that no one seems
to know where it came from or where it goes at night, dwells
this tiny nation's most significant contribution to popular
music. His name is Teitur Lassen."
Amanda Rheaume is a canadian music artist. She has made a photo
and video diary from a trip to the Faroes in the summer 2009.
She says: "We were booked to play at The G!Festival in the
village of Gøta on Saturday July 25th. Stu and I decided to hire
a Faroese drummer (Brandur Jacobbsen) and make one of the most
amazing treks of our lives. I had absolutely no idea what to
expect but fell completely in love with the Faroese people, Gøta
and The Faroe Islands themselves. I hope you enjoy my pictures
and videos of this incredible part of the world." This blog
gives a different view of the Faroes and the young culture
there. Absolutely recommendable.
By Huw Nesbitt, 30 Jul 2009: British and American acts appeared at these remote
Scandinavian festivals, but it was the high quality of the
homegrown acts which stood out. Rating: both * * * *
By Will Hodgkinson, Sunday 14 June 2009:
"The Faroe Islands, halfway to Iceland, has a tiny population with a huge
appetite for fish, whale hunting and astonishing music. Will Hodgkinson meets
the indie bands and folk singers - and the group that plays cement mixers."
Sunday 14 June 2009: Astonishing music from the islands' Eivor Palsdottir, Boys in a Band and Orka.
Photographs by Murdo Macleod. Published in The Observer, (2:04 min - Opens in new window)
In this special edition of the podcast, we travel to Portland, Oregon to
talk with the leader of Faroese metal band Týr. We also ask some people
in line what they know about the Faroes, and take a drive to the bottom of the
ocean. Guest: Heri Joensen, Týr
(www.tyr.net or
www.myspace.com/tyr1)
Høgni Lisberg Won Right To Play At South By SouthWest In Austin
In episode six, we speak with an American woman who splits her time
between San Francisco and the Faroes. We also meet a Faroese
musician who won the right to play at South by Southwest in Austin. And
we take a stroll among the trees (what few there are) in Torshavn. Guests:
Jennifer Henke (www.jenniferhenke.com)
Høgni Lisberg (www.hogni.com or
www.myspace.com/hognilisberg)
In this episode, we hear about the Faroese music scene, learn
about a pivotal moment in Faroese history, and listen to the
Law Thing. Guests:
Jón Tyril, Founder of the G! Festival (www.gfestival.com)
Hans Andrias Sølvará, Faroese Historian
"The brilliant Teitur sat down with me at the Soiled Dove
Underground in Denver, Colorado. We worked with the same
producer and engineer and I've been a fan for awhile."
Music Article, 4 Aug 2008:
The G! Mini-Festival -
Part Two
By Stephen Brolan - 04 Aug 2008:
"At this time of year it doesn’t really get dark in the Faroe
Islands. Because we’re so near the Arctic Circle, the paltry
darkness we’re afforded tends to resemble a weird kind of twilight."
Articles about the Boys In A Band's Record Attempting "Black Diamond Train"
Tour playing 24 gigs around the Faroe Islands in 24 Hours - the
last one, the great finale, at the Mini G! festival in July 2008:
By Stephen Brolan - 24 Jul 2008: “Do you wanna go to the Faroe Islands?” is the question put to us by
the Reverend Shooman, our ordained live editor. “Wow! The Pharoah
Islands!” a geographically retarded Fly misspells in his thick head.
“Maybe I could even pop over to the mainland and wake Tutankamun up
while I’m there?”
By Rachel Webster, 2 Jul 2008
"Teitur's performances across the United States and Europe have
brought his intense voice and multi-instrumentalist musicality
to the masses, but he returns home to a landscape comparable to
that of The Lord of the Rings: Denmark's Faroe Islands."
27th July, 2007
"Natasha Bedingfield is on my plane. Celebrities on planes isn't
anything new but when they travel in economy class with the rest
of us it is. But then she'd have to because there's no first
class on this tiny vessel as we're heading to the Faroe Islands,
a place not exactly known for it's booming tourism primarily
because very few people know it exists in the first place."
By Shain Shapiro - 25. July 2007:
"The Faeroe Islands are stunning, awash with treeless mountains, bright
blue fjords, beautiful women and an air of relaxed simplicity. G! is a
different kind of music festival – although the musicians comprise the
key draw, the fact that I’m in a place built for postcards has me more
in awe with my surroundings than any music coming from some stage or
other."
By Ben H. Murray - 18 July 2007: "As hordes of Brits descend on Benicassim making it the adventure
equivalent of Alton Towers, we concentrate on one of Europe's more
unlikely festivals - the mystical G! Festival in the Faroe Islands.
Follow our blog as we go where few knew existed."
By Ben H. Murray - 12 July 2007: "Benicassim is, like, soooo last year. We're off to tickle our G-spot at
G! Festival in the Faroe Islands instead. Why don't you come with?"
By Paul Sullivan - Monday July 9, 2007: "A hive of home-grown music activity, the remote Faroe Islands are making
a significant musical bid for international recognition. Paul Sullivan
goes north to look behind the scenes."
By Paul Sullivan - 8 May 2007:
DiS at the Faroe Islands' AME: "It’s not the kind of place you’d expect to find a simmering music scene.
But then again, everyone thought Iceland was just cod and volcanoes
before The Sugarcubes landed in Europe and the States and started
drawing everyone’s attention to the mini-revolution going on back home."
If you come across or know about any articles written about Faroese
music and/or Faroese musicians in media outside the Faroes, or are you a
musician with news to bring to the readers of Faroe Islands Review, feel free to
inform the webmaster of this page - who will receive any information
with gratitude. Please mail to: elin(at)heinesen.fo
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