Frigg
9/28 @ 7:30pm

Frigg
Finnish/Norwegian Group
Wednesday, September 28 @ 7:30pm

Admission $20 in advance/$25 at the door

Acoustic Nordic folk music is advanced by the next generation through Frigg, a new group rich with folk heritage from Finland and Norway. Combining elements of their respective folk traditions with touches of American Appalachian and country & western music, they create an entirely new sound which feels simultaneously innovative and familiar.
The seven-piece band contains three young Järveläs, two sons and a daughter of the most famous fiddle family in Finland, whose fathers and uncles founded JPP, and two Larsen brothers, members of a comparable Norwegian Hardanger fiddle clan. The traditional sounds are then supercharged with innovative arrangements, and combined with mandola, cittern, double bass, guitar and dobro. This young band has been dazzling festival audiences in Scandinavia and creating a phenomenal buzz among listeners and fellow musicians.
The musicians that comprise Frigg include, Alina Jarvela (fiddle), Esko Jarvela (viola, fiddle, nyckelharpa, harmonium), group leader Antti Jarvela (double bass, fiddle, viola, harmonium), Gjermund Larsen (fiddle, Hardanger fiddle), Einar-Olov (fiddle, Hardanger fiddle), Petri Prauda (cittern, mandolin) and Tuomas Logren (guitar, dobro). Guest musicians include, a touted architect of the Finnish folk music revival, Timo Alakotila (grand piano), Rami Eskelinen (drums), Janne Tovikoski (percussion) and Antti Paalanen (2-row accordion). Together these musicians weave a tapestry, that is heavy on Nordic fiddle and embellished by American bluegrass twang.

Hoven Droven
Swedish Folk-Rock Group
Friday, October 7 @ 7:30pm

Admission $20 in advance/$25 at the door

Hoven Droven's music is a unique and powerful blend of traditional folk and fierce hard rock, where violin and electric guitar duel for the audience's attention. A diverse background created by sax, drums, percussion and bass complements this combination. Keywords: power, finesse and playful virtuosity.
The closest English translation for "Hoven Droven" is "helter skelter" or "whatever." In their case, it could just as well mean; "things will take care of themselves." Despite sometimes chaotic organizational methods, none of them are able to explain how they have managed to perform on almost every major Swedish television and radio program and in North America. Looking at their individual schedules, it's a wonder that the band can get together to play at all. But when they do, Hoven Droven 's commitment to brain tickling arrangements and head-banging grooves is infectious - they routinely rock your socks off.

"...Music to twirl, stomp, and generally make mischief to. If there ever was such a thing as heavy metal folk, this might be described as acid reindeer music..." - Dirty Linen

Väsen
Swedish Folk Group
Sunday, October 23 @ 7pm

Admission $20 in advance/$25 at the door

A nyckelharpa steeped in the traditions of folkmusic. A viola of sophisticated symphonic taste. And a mad guitar. Together they are a supernatural being called Väsen, and a supremely musical one. The individual parts of the Being are: Olov Johansson, Mikael Marin, and Roger Tallroth - a folkmusic group whose fame has spread far beyond the borders of their native Sweden. And we can promise you one thing - you never know quite what's going to happen.
Väsen's origins are, of course, deeply rooted in the forests and rich earth of the Swedish countryside, in the centuries-old tradition of the folk music of Uppland. And it's a tradition spiced with consummate playing skills. But Väsen is more than just folk sounds. There's a playfulness to their music, joyousness, and a delight in clothing new ideas in a wonderfully original musical garb. And there's more than a dash of disrespect, too. If ever a group was determined to go its own way, Väsen is it. Rock, jazz, ballads, folk, classical - the influence is there, in a subtly interwowen tapestry of sound. And what you hear is always the inspiration and improvisation of the moment. Like fine champange, Väsen's music bubbles with vitality. "Playing's got to be fun," says Väsen. And the audience have got to have fun, too." On stage, the group give free rein to their imagination. Between tunes, you might think you were at a great stand-up comedy show. Or you might find yourself regaled by strange tales of mystery and music. No two concerts are alike. Väsen, as someone once said, is a gut-feeling.

"The absurdly broad term 'world music' is rendered useless in the face of these four musicians who play with such genuine passion and glee that everything on the globe seems to disappear except their hometown fires."
-David Greenberger, National Public Radio's "All Things Considered"

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