The Nordic Sound with Jameson Foster

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Jameson and Jouhikko virtuoso Lassi Logrén celebrate Finnish independence day by talking about the Jouhikko/Tagelharpa tradition, Finnish folk music, and the Tagelharpa renaissance we’re experiencing outside of traditional folk circles. We also talk about Lassi’s new solo album “Jouhikko”, why Lassi believes the instrument itself sounds human, and what we might gain from learning how to connect with solo instrumental albums on a personal, communal, and maybe even spiritual, level. Along the way, Lassi offers advice and pointers for those learning, or looking to learn how to play the Jouhikko/Tagelharpa. And of course, being Finnish independence day, I had to take a detour through some Sibelius talk ;)

Lassi’s email for those who want to ask him for Jouhikko/Tagelharpa advice: [email protected]

I hope you all enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Thank you Lassi, it was a pleasure!

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Finnish/Swedish(/Cornish?) duo Ville & Tommie join me in Nordic Sound #43 to talk about their uniquely freeform approach to performing Nordic folk music as an accordion and fiddle duo and their debut album "Stuffed Pockets". Along the way, we talk about how the duo came to be, where they come from as individual musicians, and that tricky line across tradition and innovation we always have to dance as folk musicians.

"Ville & Tommie play for concert and dance, blending traditional melodies alongside original tunes. They each bring their backgrounds to the stage, whether it be a deep knowledge of Gästrikland fiddle tunes or Cornish street music. Yet in essence the duo Ville & Tommie is all about creative empathy. To be more than the some of their parts, they must inhabit each others’ playing. And in whichever setting, the dance is never far away. The groove of polska, waltz, hornpipe and schottis is the heartbeat to their tune."

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In part 2 of Nordic Sound #42, Jameson and Fredrik poke and prod at the thorny question of what folk music is, what makes something folk music, and what folk music means in a Nordic context with Fredrik contributing what he learned while writing and directing the documentary "Trollstemt".

I've found these conversations are almost always had behind closed doors in hushed tones, but I think there's much to be gained by bringing it out from under the rug after hearing perspectives from many sides of the Nordic music industry that tend to overlap more than one would expect. Therefore, the purpose of conversations like these is to create a space for open and candid discussion that encourages us to think more intentionally about the ways we think about, talk about, and listen to the music that we love.  With that in mind, I hope those who do contribute to the conversation do so in the same spirit.

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Join me as I dive deep into the history of Norway's folk music tradition with Fredrik Akselsen, acclaimed director of the series "Trollstemt" - a documentary I had been keeping tabs on since Mattias Thedens of Gangar first promoted it last year. It's funny to think I hadn't the slightest idea that I'd end up having the director on the Nordic Sound for a chat, and for that, we all owe a hearty "tusen takk" to Ingrid Aune Falch of Songleikr for putting us in contact after our last interview. 

In a first for the channel, this interview will be split into two parts. In the second part, we continue the thorny, provocative, but important conversation to be had about what Nordic Folk music is and why it's a conversation that needs to be had more openly, and more candidly, as fantasies of Nordic Folk enter into the mainstream and risk overtaking this rich, beautiful, and surprisingly animist music tradition dating back over a millennia. 

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Jameson is joined by Maria Franz and Ingrid Aune Falch to talk about Songleikr's history with Midgardsblot and how important storytelling is as a part of Songleikr's music (and folk music in general). After taking us through their history with "medieval music", we get into a rather difficult and provocative discussion about what Nordic folk even is, with Maria and Ingrid both offering extensive commentary on the growing misuse of the term over the years. This particular conversation has been central to the Nordic Sound, and so I anticipate a lot of productive discussion to grow out of what was started here - especially as the vocalist of Heilung, a band so often labeled as Nordic Folk, Maria's perspective is a much needed shake-up to the conversation.

We wrap up the discussion with the question of how Nordic music has exploded over the years and the kind of changes that has brought to the scene, with yet another complex conversation about heritage and roots as they pertain to the reception of Nordic music.

Thank you both for the lively and productive discussion... we've all had quite a bit to think about since recording this!

0:00 Least chaotic nordic sound intro
3:09 Midgardsblot
13:54 Storytelling through music
22:44 Early experiences with "medieval" music
42:30 The Folk Music Question
1:00:07 Heritage and the Nordic music boom
1:14:14 What's next for Songleikr?

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Support the show

The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons over on Patreon.com/jamesonfoster

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In Nordic Sound #40, Jameson is joined by Kjell Braaten to talk about Kjell’s approach to skaldic performance and his recent collaboration on the beautiful Lithuanian sutartines project with Stuba and Skaidra Jančaité as part of an ongoing mission to preserve and revitalize Lithuanian communal singing tradition. 

Key topics in this conversation include Kjell telling why skaldic tradition inspires him, how music is a form of active and communal remembering of the past, if viking music can ever be authentic, and a deeper discussion about the value of celebrating the living traditions around us that are at risk of being lost.

Jameson Foster is an ethnomusicologist at the University of Colorado Boulder specializing in Nordic music traditions with a focus on pagan revivalism.

0:00 Introduction
1:20 Skaldic music
12:53 Do limitation help creativity?
23:32 Making mistakes as a solo performer
28:59 Sources for skaldic performance
38:00 Music as memory
49:00 Sutartines and Stuba
58:26 What are Sutartines?
1:06:00 Serendipitous Meeting
1:11:14 Living Lithuanian traditions
1:22:00 Why vikings?

Previous interview with Kjell:
Nordic Sound #8 - https://youtu.be/Ch6-4uCUT00


The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons:
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You too can support the project at patreon.com/nordicsound

Support the show

The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons over on Patreon.com/jamesonfoster

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Monica
Ember
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In this co-sponsored event between ByNorse and the University of Colorado Boulder's Ethnomusicology and Nordic Studies departments, Einar joins Jameson in front of a live audience to talk about the animist cosmology behind Wardruna's music, what animism means to Einar, how Wardruna's music has (or hasn't) changed over time, and an inevitable deep discussion about questions of authenticity and reconstructionism often nagging the reception of Wardruna's music. The interview concludes with a thought-provoking conversation regarding the bear, the namesake of Wardruna's upcoming record "Birna", and how Wardruna's music continues its mission to ask questions and give voice to nature and the ecological problems we face today.

Being live, and with the Nordic Sound being very DIY, there are some inevitable imperfections in the audio quality. Thank you for listening!

0:00 Intro
2:50 Red Rocks
6:18 Being a Cultural Ambassador
10:20 How has Wardruna changed over time?
15:13 Any lasting influence from Einar's heavy metal background?
17:04 The Animism of Wardruna
22:49 Animism in Nordic cultural heritage
25:40 Reconstructionism and Authenticity
38:31 Birna
47:44 Q+A

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You too can support the project at patreon.com/nordicsound

Support the show

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In this monumental installment of the Nordic Sound, Jameson is joined by Mari Boine to reflect on her childhood, the rise and influence of her career through Gula Gula, how she has come to be an influential icon to so many around the world, and her place as a powerful voice for Sámi culture since the 1980s. 

Along the way, Mari explains what Joik means to her and how it relates to her belief that music has an ineffable power to remind us of our elemental humanity, while also reflecting on how proud she is of the new wave of Sámi poets, artists, and musicians today. To conclude, we discuss Mari’s perspective on the cultural exchange between Nordic and Sámi music, and the indisputable influence Sámi music tradition, and Mari’s music specifically, continues to have on the new Nordic and global “Viking” music scene. In this summary, I’d be remiss to ignore the touching and raw conversation Mari sparks about her struggle with, and for, her identity and heritage throughout her career.

On a personal note from Jameson: this conversation has singularly made the years of effort put into the Nordic Sound project my most meaningful endeavor as a musicologist. My sincerest gratitude to Mari for giving me her time amidst her tour, and to ByNorse for organizing this special interview. I could end the project here and feel like I’ve done something worthwhile… but we all know I’m taking this thing to the grave.

I hope you enjoy this conversation with the qu– an icon of Nordic music.

0:00 Intro
0:47 Signing with ByNorse
4:05 Mari’s Childhood
8:55 What is Joik?
13:29 Into the Music Industry
17:18 Learning Sámi History in College
18:35 Gula Gula and Sámi Heritage
23:11 The Reception of Gula Gula
27:40 Music as Catharsis
29:19 A Reluctant Leader
36:20 Alva
40:46 Sámi Issues and Environmentalism
49:37 Sámi Arts and Culture Today
54:25 Misconceptions about Sámi Music
56:52 Sámi Influence on New Nordic Music (Wardruna, etc.)

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Jonas Lorentzen returns to the Nordic Sound to discuss what Nebala's been up to since last time we met. In this conversation, we have a retrospective on the debut album, and where Jonas wants to take Nebala's sound and vision from there. We also discuss singing as community and Jonas' singing workshops, ponder why we don't sing as much as we used to, and of course, talk about the kickstarter that will be helping Nebala's next album now that Jonas has gone Indie. Oh, and would it be a Jonas episode if we didn't contend with questions of cultural appropriation?

0:00 Intro
1:30 Retrospective on Nebala's debut album
12:55 Working on new Nebala material
18:50 The craft of an album
24:16 Singing as Community
30:00 Why don't we sing anymore?
42:40 The future of Nebala and working with Christopher Juul
48:20 Kickstarter
1:00:25 Fire in the Mountains
1:00:10 Jonas contends with Cultural Appropriation

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(#35 with Rúnahild is only available on Youtube due to unfortunate audio issues on my end)

Today I am joined once again by Nils Edström, the man behind Hindarfjäll perhaps best known for his performance of My Mother Told Me with Peter Franzén from the Vikings television series. I’ve had Nils on before, but now he is back to talk about his latest album Seden which released almost a month ago to the day. 

In this interview, Nils talks about his trips to Italy and his experience at this year’s Midgardsblot before we turn the conversation to his origins in the pagan/viking music genre. As is tradition, black metal plays a part in introducing Nils to the old ways, though he himself is not the most dedicated listener of black metal, showing us yet again that the ideology of black metal seems to transcend the music itself. Nils takes us through his nature walks as a kid with his friends as well as his walks with his grandmother learning the names of the trees, where from a young age Nils had an inclination towards animistic questions and perspectives. 

He was brought to this genre by the way of Wardruna, Månegarm, and Anders Hagberg, which gave him a more suitable expression for his love of nature, mythology, and older ways. In talking about his growth through the years leading up to Seden, Nils and Jameson talk about the importance of being self-critical (in a healthy amount) to grow as a musician, as well as the experiences he’s had writing and making the music of Seden. We talk about that pesky “is this folk music” question, as well as conflicts of theory and intuition when it comes to writing music. We then spend a long time diving into the mythology of Seden in which Nils takes us through his perspectives on things like Odin, Yggdrasil, Asatru, and thanks to a misunderstanding on Jameson’s part (it keeps him humble): Seidr vs Seden and reconstructionists.

Thank you for coming back on the podcast, Nils, and congratulations on a stellar album.

0:00 Intro

2:57 Midgardsblot

4:20 Performing with Peter Franzén

5:45 Filling in for Gåte

7:21 How Nils got into Pagan folk music

10:21 Nature walks with Nils

12:30 Early Hindarfjäll inspirations

15:17 The rise of Nordic Animism

18:55 The Black Metal influence

20:35 Hindarfjäll’s instrumentation

23:40 The Folk Music Question

30:20 Seden

37:00 The harmonies of Hindarfjäll

41:38 The mythology of Seden

1:04:32 The songs of Seden

1:08:58 Seden restrospective

1:15:17 What’s next?

1:20:02 Nils turns to Scuzzlebutt

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