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Welcome back to the Nordic Sound. This is the first of a few live interviews done across both Midgardsblot and Fire in the Mountains, so there is a video component for those listening on podcast if you’d like to watch the scenic places where these chats take place as a nice changeup from zoom. 

This first of the festival interview series is with mr. John Stenersen of Wardruna who is currently ramping up to release his first solo album on ByNorse, featuring traditional tunes played on Nyckelharpa with tastefully dark and brooding accompaniment on droning instruments and percussion. 

In this upcoming conversation, John and I talk about a wide range of things including the inspiration for the solo album itself and his diy introduction to the Nordic folk tradition, and we learn some about his first musical experiences as a kid too which was pretty fun. 

One caveat I always like to preface these live interviews with is because they are live at festivals, there will of course be more ambient noise than the typical Nordic Sound episode: people chatting in the distance, sound checks, seagulls, planes overhead… the works. Luckily there was nothing intrusive, but  I just wanted to mention it for posterity. It’s all part of the charm of festival interviews - it really sets the scene

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Today’s guest is a very dear friend of mine, Mattias Thedens, who is a renowned fiddler in the Norwegian folk scene and most known for his place as the frontman of folk rock band Gangar. In this episode, Mattias and I talk about the new album Dreng and the joys of touring before getting into a deeper conversation about tradition and how to handle criticism as a new artist.

Oslo-based Gangar bring a fresh take on Nordic roots music. The five-piece ensemble — Mattias Truell Thedens (Hardanger fiddle), Oskar Goedvriend Lindberget (saxophone), Richard Max (guitar), Jonas Thrana Jensen (bass), and Henrik Dullum (drums) — digs rare traditional tunes out of Norway's folk archives and rearranges them through rock, folk-metal, and jazz improvisation. The Hardanger fiddle, once banned in churches as "the devil's instrument" and now Norway's national instrument, gives the band its distinctive sound. Since their first concert in 2021 they've become one of Norway's most in-demand musical exports, playing Rudolstadt (DE), Sziget (HU), Celtic Connections (Scotland), and Port Fairy Folk Festival (Australia). Debut EP "Tre Danser" (2022, Heilo Records) was followed by debut album "Stubb" (2023). Second full-length "Dreng" was recorded in 2024 and released April 2026 on Heilo / Sounds Like Gold.

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In Nordic Sound #64 I sit down with the voices of Songleikr to discuss the making of their new album "Fuglefolk". We also geek out about birds... just a little bit. 

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After a long hiatus, the Nordic Sound returns with Jósúa Hróðgeir Rood to talk about Nexion's latest album "Sundrung". Not only is Josh a rising vocal star in the extreme metal scene, but as a scholar he is currently writing my PHD dissertation on Ásatrú as a reinvention of Old Norse Heathenism for the Social and Human Sciences department at University of Iceland. Putting two PhD students in related fields together in a zoom room is typically a recipe for disaster, but I think we managed alright ;) Thanks for the good hang, Josh!

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What a year to be a Nordic music geek, eh? This is already my fourth year of doing these year-end lists, and looking back, I do believe this year has left the greatest impression on me. Not only as a listener, but as a musician myself. I look forward to what next year has in store, but for now, it's time to reflect and enjoy on the awesome music Nordic artists have brought us this year.

Thanks for another great year, everyone, and happy holidays!

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Faber and I had such a good time hanging out for Nordic Sound 52 , that we just had to have him back on the channel to talk about Sowulo’s latest album, NIHT. We also talk about our shared challenges of listening to music as musicians (cognitive vs emotional listening), mythology, paganism, and why we seem to always use esoteric languages in this style of music.

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Runahild joins the channel once again for Nordic Sound #61 to chat about her upcoming album (and book!) Seid, in which she takes us through a personal and spiritual journey with "seid" - an ancient Nordic shamanic practice of which there is woefully little archaeological or literary record. 

Seid is out October 17th!

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Live from the Pike's Peak Center in Colorado Springs, Einar and Jameson sit down for a retrospective on Wardruna’s “Birna” and the historic Fire in the Mountains festival in Montana this past July.

Jameson Foster is an ethnomusicologist at the University of Colorado Boulder specializing in Nordic music traditions. 

Thumbnail photo: Morten Munthe

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Maja Kjaer joins the Nordic Sound for episode 59 to talk about her debut album "Landing", why Danish music is "like that", fiddling traditions in Denmark, and more. 

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Live from Midgardsblot, MÍO returns to the Nordic Sound for a second time for an interview about their signing with ByNorse, their new album "Hva Nå", and how they use creatures of folklore to tell their stories about modern issues through their lyrics.

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