Archive for 2013

Night of the Proms tour ends in Bremen

Bremen, December 22nd (Picture from weser-kurier.de)

Bremen, December 22nd
(Picture from weser-kurier.de)

The Night of the Proms tour 2013 ended at the ÖVB Arena in Bremen on December 22nd, after three weeks on the road and 19 concerts around Germany.

Morten performed the same five songs he’s done at every concert, before an audience of 8000 people.

The final week of the tour also included a concert at the EWE Arena in Oldenburg on December 17th, an additional show that wasn’t listed on the original tour schedule.

Here is a selection of videos and photos from the final week:
FOTM/SOTR/DILYB (19 Dec.)
TSASOTV (19 Dec.)
Hey Jude (19 Dec.)

Stay on These Roads (21 Dec.)
There is a Place (21 Dec.)
Hey Jude (21 Dec.)

Oldenburg gallery    Hannover gallery    Berlin gallery
Hamburg gallery    Bremen gallery

Magne brings “Norwegian Wood Remix” to Stavanger

New version of

New version of “Glass Onion”
(large version)

Kunstgalleriet in Stavanger recently announced that Magne will hold a Beatles-themed solo exhibition at the gallery next month.

“We are very proud that Magne Furuholmen is bringing a new solo exhibition to our gallery”, Elin Halvorsen at Kunstgalleriet told newspaper Rogalands Avis on December 18th.

“In London [and Oslo] he exhibited woodcuts, but this time he’s made twelve large oil paintings. The exhibition itself doesn’t have a title, but the theme of the exhibition is Norwegian Wood Remix“, Halvorsen said.

Magne will be present at the opening, which takes place on January 25th.

Meanwhile, some new photos of Magne appeared on Facebook before Christmas. Tini Flaat Mykland, who has continued working on her debut album with Magne this autumn, posted this photo from a recent get-together at an Oslo restaurant. And a local fruit pressing factory in Askim posted this photo of Magne and Simen Staalnacke (Moods of Norway). Apparently the duo created their own apple juice to give away to family and friends for Christmas.

Concert in Langesund

Another Norwegian summer concert was announced today:

Just announced: Morten will play at Wrightegaarden in Langesund, Norway on Saturday July 19 – http://www.wrightegaarden.no

Morten previously played in Langesund in 1996, while a-ha played there in 2001.

Update: Tickets for the concert are now available at billettportalen.no. Apparently there’s a 20% discount if you buy your ticket before the end of the year.

Night of the Proms radio broadcast

Morten on stage in Munich this weekend (Photo from br.de)

Morten on stage in Munich this weekend
(Photo from br.de)

A selection of live highlights from Night of the Proms 2013 were broadcast on the German radio station Bayern 3 last night.

Four of Morten’s songs were included; “Foot of the Mountain” / “Stay on These Roads” / “Did I Leave You Behind” / “The Sun Always Shines on TV” – plus “Hey Jude” together with the other artists. “There is a Place” was left out. His performance was recorded in Munich on December 14th.

If you missed the broadcast, here it is:


German and UK dates announced

Four German dates were announced on the official Morten Harket website today:

Morten will be performing four concerts in Germany in early May:

May 5th – Hamburg, Laeiszhalle
May 6th – Cologne, E-Werk
May 8th – Berlin, Columbiahalle
May 9th – Offenbach, Capitol

Tickets for these shows go on sale via Eventim on Tuesday, December 17 at 9:00am.

Update Dec. 17th: A UK date has now also been announced:

Morten will be back in London at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire on May 16! Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday December 20 at 9:00am via Gigs & Tours.

Concert promoter Marek Lieberberg sent out a press release in connection with the German dates, which says that Morten’s upcoming album is called Brother – the same as the first single. The press release goes on to say that the album has similarities with Wild Seed.

Incidentally, Morten used to perform a song called “Brother” live in the late 90s – as pointed out by @tTrovik on Twitter. That song, also known as “Father”, was the English version of “Lyser Når Du Drar” from Vogts Villa.

I can’t really see it being the lead single off the new album, unless it’s been heavily reworked. So this new “Brother” may be a different song using the same title.

Magne appears in Edvard Munch documentary

Magne interviewed in the documentary

Magne interviewed in the documentary

A new documentary film about Edvard Munch, Let The Scream Be Heard, made in connection with the 150th anniversary of the birth of the famous painter, aired on NRK1 in Norway last night.

Magne was one of the people interviewed, alongside other artists like Marina Abramovic, Tracey Emin, Ketil Bjørnstad and Liv Ullmann.

Magne’s own early work was heavily inspired by Munch, as could be seen in his first solo exhibition “Maleri” in 1989.

“You’re floored by his ability to make complex things appear simple”, Magne says in the documentary.

Munch’s reluctance to sell his art was among the topics Magne commented on:

“It does affect you as a human being to be that sales person for your own work, but I really don’t feel like I have a choice. I believe in what I do and I will stand by it. Munch used the phrase ‘raising children’; that you will do anything for that work. You will go to war for it.”

The 57-minute english language documentary was made by Indian director Dheeraj Akolkar and can be seen online at nrk.no (Norway only).

Links:  Metro India article    Trailer

Morten at Over Oslo Festivalen 2014

Another Norwegian summer festival was announced on Morten’s website today:

The ‘Over Oslo’ Festival is in its fourth season in 2014. 370 meters above Oslo, but still only just over a block from downtown, the festival takes place in quite spectacular surroundings. There is forest on all sides and a vantage point overlooking the artists and the city. “One of Oslo’s finest summer traditions,” wrote Dagsavisen in 2013. In the past, all days of the festival have sold out, usually well before the event.

Morten will perform on June 20, along with Odd Nordstoga and other artists to be announced later this month. For all details about the festival, visit the web site at http://www.scenegrefsenkollen.no/

Tickets for June 20th cost 690 kroner and are available now at billettservice.no.

Interview with Morten

Interviewed backstage at NOTP

Interviewed backstage at NOTP

The Night of the Proms tour continues, and tonight Morten and the other artists are performing in Luxembourg.

In a short video interview posted on the NOTP Facebook page, Morten is asked what he enjoys most about being on stage on this particular tour:

“I’m kind of used to being on stage. Obviously, being on stage has to do with contact with the audience and that connection, with the music as the agent between. That’s what it’s about. What is different for me here is obviously this big ensemble behind me and this huge orchestra. And that opportunity is something you don’t really get often. I’ve done it, kind of, many times over the years. We’re talking about 30 years now. But to be able to do it like this, on a daily basis more or less – because we play virtually every night – is an opportunity of a different kind. So that is what stands out for me”, Morten tells interviewer Markus Othmer, who also hosts the shows.

Morten is also asked how it is to perform his new songs “There is a Place” and “Did I Leave You Behind” together with the orchestra:

“That is a great opportunity as well, because these songs are really fresh. They’re very new. It’s not long ago I sat on a couch with a guitar, together with Peter [Kvint], my songwriting partner. And these songs were just that. And all of a sudden, five minutes later, it’s in such a setting. So this I’ve not done before”, Morten says.

Some recent video clips from Night of the Proms:
Foot of the Mountain (Multicam)    Did I Leave You Behind (Dec. 6th)
There is a Place (Dec. 8th)

New Marius Beck EP, co-produced by Magne

Recording the EP in London (l. to r.): Magne Furuholmen, Ole Richard Korsan Stuwe, Martin Terefe, Åsmund Knutson, Marius Beck, Nicolai Herwell and Sam Keyte.

Recording the EP at Kensaltown Studios (l. to r.): Magne Furuholmen, Ole Richard Korsan Stuwe, Martin Terefe, Åsmund Knutson, Marius Beck, Nicolai Herwell and Sam Keyte.

Marius Beck’s new 5-track EP Majors & Minors is released in Norway today.

The EP was recorded at Kensaltown Studios in London in September, and has been produced by Magne Furuholmen and Martin Terefe. Magne also plays keyboard on the EP, while Terefe plays bass guitar.

Cover

Cover of the new EP

“The songs are more melancholic and on a whole different planet than what I’ve done before”, Beck said in a recent interview with newspaper Oppland Arbeiderblad.

“The collaboration with Magne Furuholmen has been really good. I’ve been sending him demo tapes with new songs on a regular basis, and together we’ve seen the songs evolve”.

Majors & Minors is released through WiMP DIY and the Furuholmen/Terefe company Vox Watch Music. It is available for streaming and purchase on WiMP now, and will be up on iTunes soon. A UK release is planned for next month.

Links:
Marius Beck interview on WiMP blog    Marius Beck on Facebook

Ltd. ed. Morten Harket jackets now available

Morten wearing the jacket at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards

Morten wearing the jacket at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, May 19th

The new fashion brand Jilani is now offering a limited edition Morten Harket jacket in their webshop.

The leather jacket was co-designed by Morten especially for his appearance at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas in May, where he performed together with Pitbull and Christina Aguilera.

“Morten wanted to wear a jacket that reflected both the 80s and the present. He co-designed it himself. The jacket was only intended to be used by Morten at this particular event, but already the day after the Billboard Awards people started contacting us, wanting to buy it. So we decided to produce a limited number of jackets for sale”, Jilani writes on their blog.

Morten recently visited the Jilani studios where he signed 50 limited edition jackets, which are now available for 9500 kroner ($1550) at jilanishop.no.

Morten to perform at Brønnøysund Roots Festival

Morten is the first artist to be confirmed for next year’s Roots Festival in Brønnøysund, Norway. The festival is held between 16 – 19 July, but the exact date for Morten’s concert has not been decided yet.

“Morten Harket is apparently bringing along an incredibly good band”, festival manager Torstein Moe tells local newspaper Helgeland Arbeiderblad.

“This is all about putting enough money on the table to make it interesting. He turned out to be pretty expensive. By far the most expensive act we’ve had in the festival’s history. But we’re very happy to have him confirmed”, Moe says.

3-day festival passes are now available from billettservice.no.

Update (13 Dec.): The date will be 17 July.

Night of the Proms tour opens in Cologne

On stage in Cologne

On stage in Cologne
(Photo from regioactive.de)

The Night of the Proms tour opened with two concerts in Cologne this weekend, where a total audience of 25,000 people filled the Lanxess Arena on Friday and Saturday.

As the headliner, Morten came on stage at the end of the 3-hour show to perform five songs, including two new solo songs:

1. Foot Of The Mountain
2. Stay On These Roads
3. Did I Leave You Behind
4. There Is A Place
5. The Sun Always Shines On TV

At the very end all the artists did The Beatles’ Hey Jude together.

“Night of the Proms is something I’ve been asked to do over the years, but there’s never really been a suitable time. It’s with a big philharmonic orchestra. A lot of this and that musically, which is in itself interesting. It’s an opportunity of a different kind and I’m kinda curious as to what it will be”, Morten said in a backstage video filmed before Friday’s premiere.

Yesterday Morten also appeared at a press conference together with some of the other NOTP artists. The tour will visit twelve more cities until December 22nd.

Photos and reviews:
morten-harket.net    regioactive.de    wdr2.de    notp-fanpage.de

As for “There is a Place”, the song has now been confirmed to be released in connection with Night of the Proms as “a taste of the music he is working on for his new album”. Whether it ends up on the album or not remains to be seen. The song is now available for download and streaming worldwide, through iTunes, Amazon, 7digital, WiMP, Spotify etc.

Morten to perform at Spellemann Awards

Morten at the 2010 Spellemann Awards

Morten at the 2010 Spellemann Awards.

Morten will be premiering a new single called “Brother” at the 2013 Spellemann Awards (Norwegian Grammies) on January 18th, the official site announced today. The song, which is from his upcoming solo album, has been written by Morten, Ole Sverre Olsen and Peter Kvint.

This might indicate that “There is a Place” is a one-off single in connection with Night of the Proms, rather than an album track. Hard to say, as there’s been no official info about it yet.

“The album will be finished in December and is probably released in March. Then there’s a European tour in May, Norwegian and international festivals during the summer and even more touring in the fall”, manager Harald Wiik tells VG in connection with the Spellemann announcement.

The Spellemann show is held in Stavanger Konserthus and will be broadcast live on NRK1. Other acts scheduled to perform include Ask Embla, CLMD, Envy, Highasakite and Kvelertak.

New single from Morten

Single cover

Single cover

A new single from Morten called “There is a Place”, presumably the first single off his upcoming solo album, will be available this coming week, according to the Norwegian streaming service WiMP.

The single will be released on November 29th, the same day Morten starts his 18-date Night Of The Proms tour in Germany and Luxembourg.

“There is a Place” has a length of 3:14 minutes and is released through Morten’s own company Compass Point.

Update: 7digital.com now has a 1-minute preview of the song here.

News about Morten’s 2014 solo tour has also started to appear this week. Two dates have been announced; l’Olympia in Paris on May 14th (ticket info on the official site) and London on May 16th (venue and ticket info TBA).

Magne interviewed on The Briefing

Magne in London earlier this year (Picture from Dagbladet)

Magne in London earlier this year
(Picture from Dagbladet)

Monocle.com’s radio talkshow The Briefing is doing a special Nordic edition this week. Yesterday the show was broadcast live from Oslo, and Magne was one of the guests.

The interview with Magne was done in London however, as he was there to do some work. The conversation with Tom Edwards touched on Norwegian cultural politics, Magne’s visual arts and the music he’s doing for the upcoming Beatles movie:

“Musically, right now I’m deep into a film score for a film called ‘Beatles’. I think it’s gonna be called ‘Yesterday’ over here. It’s actually the first time that The Beatles have allowed original material to this degree. There’s three full Beatle recordings in the score, and I’m supposed to write original music that can stand up to that. That’s a bit of a challenge (laughs).

On the other hand, if I look at it differently this is a return to my own childhood. This is the music I grew up listening to, which inspired me to go out and make my mark on whatever world stage. It’s a little bit about returning to that feeling of growing up in a sort of a provincial place in the 1970s, where you had one hour of pop music on the radio every day. Kids today can’t even relate to that, but that’s what it was like.

I’ve sort of gone into a method around it that allows me to now go into Abbey Road – I’ve gotten hold of the “Lady Madonna” piano and the mics that they used and the recording equipment they used – and to set it up as a kind of authentic setting to recreate, not the music of The Beatles, but that zeitgeist, that time period.”

The whole interview can be heard here (starts at 45 minutes).

Morten attends funeral of Lage Fosheim

Morten outside Uranienborg church, November 12th

Morten outside Uranienborg church, November 12th

Morten attended the funeral of The Monroes vocalist Lage Fosheim (1958 – 2013) in Oslo today, together with a-ha manager Harald Wiik. Other musicians present included Sissel Kyrkjebø, Espen Lind and a-ha touring musician Dag Kolsrud.

Lage Fosheim and Eivind Rølles formed The Monroes in 1982, which quickly became the biggest band in Norway – until a-ha had their breakthrough. Their first two albums spawned the no. 1 hits Sunday People (1983) and Cheerio (1985).

Fosheim later became head of promotion at Universal Norway and worked with a-ha and Morten on various projects.

The Monroes: Eivind Rølles and Lage Fosheim

The Monroes: Eivind Rølles and Lage Fosheim

“This is sad and very unexpected. Lage was an unusually lively character. He’s been a central part of the Norwegian music scene since we started out. a-ha and The Monroes did many of the same things and cleared a path [for Norwegian pop music] in different areas”, Morten told VG before the ceremony.

“Lage was an extraordinary guy, with a unique level of energy. He made a difference in the way he was, not least how he embraced each day. His death came very sudden for all of us who didn’t know he was ill”, Morten added to Her og Nå.

Both members of The Monroes died of cancer this year, Rølles in March and Fosheim in October.

Articles about the funeral:  Dagbladet    VG    NRK    Her og Nå    VG photo gallery

Stolper + Friends gallery to close next month

Magne in front of the gallery

Magne in front of the gallery

Stolper + Friends, the Oslo art gallery that Magne co-owns together with Paul Stolper and Hugo Opdal, is set to close its doors by the end of the year.

“Our owners have ongoing projects all over the world, and we have decided to close down the gallery. The company will continue, but we will instead focus on so-called “pop-up” exhibitions around Oslo”, daily manager Kate Smith tells Dagens Næringsliv’s paper edition.

The gallery opened in September 2011 and has featured artists such as Peter Blake and Damien Hirst, in addition to Magne’s own projects. His Norwegian Wood sales exhibition, which ended this past weekend, was almost completely sold out.

“Our exhibitions have been successfull, but our rental agreement at Tjuvholmen ends in December, so we decided to close down”, Smith says.

The gallery’s last exhibition will be Art Under Pressure (8 Nov. – 22 Dec.), a smaller version of the Atelje Larsen group exhibtion which was held in Helsingborg, Sweden two years ago. Magne and Apparatjik are among the artists represented.

Morten performs for Södra Cell employees

Morten performs in Hurum, October 24th

Morten performs in Hurum, October 24th
(Picture from Grønsand Gjestegård’s Facebook page)

Morten did an intimate solo concert in Hurum last Thursday, October 24th, in connection with a private dinner held for 150 former employees of the local Södra Cell Tofte cellulose factory, which closed its doors in August.

A total of 295 people lost their jobs when the owners decided to cease production.

“Morten has a personal involvement in this issue. That’s why he wanted to take part. Normally he doesn’t do events like this”, Jan Morten Trønnes of Södra Cell tells newspaper Røyken og Hurums Avis.

“He felt sad that the factory had to close, and he can’t understand why Norway doesn’t want industrial facilities that can produce renewable energy”, Trønnes says.

The dinner was held in a barn at Grønsand Gjestegård, and Morten apparently performed songs from “his entire career”, including a couple of new ones. He was accompanied by producer Lars Hustoft on keyboard.

Magne to take part in ‘Choreography Of Sound’ symposium

Magne will be in Karlsruhe, Germany on Tuesday November 5th, to take part in an international symposium called “Choreography Of Sound – Between Abstraction and Narration”.

He will do two different presentations in the afternoon:

3:45 pm: “Everybody is a Composer – Art Slam with Magne Furuholmen”
“In projects like “Everybody is a Composer” (Oslo National Museum) or “Cathedral Footsteps” (Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin) Magne Furuholmen examines the conditions of a space and the dynamics between performer and audience together with the artist-collective Apparatjik. Through audience participation, new compositions emerge as collective works of art. How does everyone become a composer? How does such a heterogeneous sound find its form? How does rhythm become image? This presentation takes the form of a dialogue with author and pop-expert Jenni Zylka.”

4:30 pm: “Complicate Your Life – Decomposing and recomposing a pop song”
“Since Pete Townsend – inspired by his encounter with Gustav Metzger – in the 60’s made the destruction of instruments into a dramatic live gesture, destruction and decomposition have become as fundamental to rock music as its connection with visual art.
In Magne Furuholmens workshop the participants will experience how de- and re-constructing a pop song can create new meanings. By reconfiguring pop songs Furuholmen refers to the emergence of sampling in the 90’s that radically challenged questions of ownership and copyright.”

More info is available on the symposium’s website. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations need to be made before October 31st.

2013 BMI London Awards

Morten and Magne in London, October 15th

Morten and Magne in London, October 15th
(Picture from BMI.com)

Morten and Magne attended the 2013 BMI London Awards on October 15th, where they were presented with the BMI Million-Air Award, in recognition of “Take On Me” having been played four million times on U.S. radio.

A video clip of them receiving the award can be seen here (starts at 03:10). There is also a short interview clip on YouTube.

More pictures are available on BMI.com and Zimbio.com here and here.

Morten and Magne previously received the same award at the BMI London Awards in October 2007, when the song had been played three million times on U.S. radio.

Morten joins Scorpions at MTV Unplugged shows in Athens

Morten and Klaus Meine on stage, September 11th (Picture by Marietta Photography)

Morten and Klaus Meine on stage, September 11th
(Picture by Marietta Photography)

Morten joined German veteran rockers Scorpions on stage at the outdoors Lycabettus Theatre in Athens, Greece last night, to sing the band’s 1991 hit “Wind of Change” together with vocalist Klaus Meine.

The live performance can be seen on YouTube.

And check out this blog for some good photos from the show.

Scorpions are doing three MTV Unplugged concerts in Athens this week (September 11th, 12th and 14th) as “Scorpions & Friends”, with several surprise guests. Morten is supposed to come on stage again tonight, but not on Saturday.

Two of the shows are being filmed, and will be released as MTV Unplugged – Scorpions Live In Athens on CD, DVD and Blu-ray later this year.

Morten is known to be a friend of Scorpions, and attended one of their concerts while on tour in Russia last year. On Monday he appeared at an Athens restaurant together with Klaus Meine, there’s a picture on Instagram.

Update: “Wind of Change” had to be performed twice on the second night (Sep. 12th), as Morten seemed to miss his cue the first time. Here are YouTube clips of both versions:   Version 1    Version 2

Magne records EP with Marius Beck

Marius Beck and Magne, interviewed during The Voice last year

Marius Beck and Magne, interviewed during The Voice last year

Marius Beck, who was one of the top five talents on Magne’s team on The Voice last year, recorded his first EP at Kensaltown Studios in London last week.

The EP is produced by Magne and Martin Terefe, and is planned for release soon.

“Big ups to Magne Furuholmen and Martin Terefe for producing and playing”, Beck wrote on Instagram today.

“Marius is a great performer. Ever since the first time I heard him, I’ve been convinced that he’ll go far – be it with The Voice or on his own. His songwriting is continually improving and he’s on his way to something very exciting”, Magne said in an interview last year.

Marius Beck’s first single “Back With Me” was released in October 2012 and is available on iTunes.

Morten attends The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones premiere

Inez and Morten in Fredrikstad last night

Inez and Morten in Fredrikstad last night

Morten and Inez attended the Norwegian premiere of Harald Zwart’s new movie The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones in Fredrikstad last night.

“Harald is above all very talented, which he has proven time and again. But he’s also got an incredible drive and an impressive staying power. And they’re also a great team, Harald and his wife Veslemøy. It’s all very impressive, and that’s why I’m here tonight”, Morten told TV2.

A few of the actors from the movie were also present in Fredrikstad; Lily Collins, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Jamie Campbell Bower and Robert Sheehan.

Pictures: VG 1   VG 2   Fredriksstad Blad   Video interview: FBTV

 
Earlier this month, on August 3rd, a-ha fan Ari Benjamin met Morten in Kristiansand. The story of his meeting with Morten can be found on his blog at aribenjamin.net.

 
Magne, who will be showing his Norwegian Wood exhibition in Oslo next month, also appeared in public recently. On August 16th he attended the Moods of Norway 10th anniversary celebration in Oslo Spektrum, where the fashion label presented its latest collection called Pop Factory.

Magne and Heidi could be seen in the audience in the live webcast from the show, where they enjoyed the Moods of Norway house band – featuring Matt Sorum (drums), Nick Perri (guitar) and Maya Vik (bass).

Morten to perform in Vennesla – UPDATED

Performing at the Haydom fundraiser in 2009

Morten performing “A Change Is Gonna Come” at the Haydom fundraiser in 2009

Next Sunday, August 18th, Morten will once again be performing with his relatives in the Harket Choir at the annual fundraiser meeting to support Haydom Lutheran Hospital in Tanzania.

The fundraiser takes place in Vennesla in Southern Norway, outdoors in a garden owned by Morten’s uncle. Several hundred people show up each year for the event.

Morten has previously performed at the Haydom fundraiser in 2003, 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2011. In 2009 he also did a mini solo-concert, in addition to singing with the Harket Choir.

Update, August 19th: Although Morten was scheduled to take part, he did not appear at the Haydom fundraiser after all (for reasons unknown). But the Harket Choir performed without him and 104000 kroner was raised for the Haydom hospital.

Lowell and Magne jam session

Lowell and Magne, July 3rd (Screenshot from Vine clip)

Lowell and Magne, July 3rd
(Screenshot from Vine clip)

Elizabeth Boland – aka Lowell – did a week-long music and art workshop at Stolper + Friends in Oslo earlier this month, following her concerts at the Go With The Flø festival. Entitled Sex cells – sound and vision under the influence, the workshop was held between 1 – 7 July.

Here’s a quote from her Facebook page:

“Many people came out to the concerts at night, and one night we had Robyn Hitchcock (The Soft Boys) with Norwegian indie rock band “I was a King”. One day we also had a stunning violin duo playing violin and the saw along with me. Other days, Magne F (a-ha, Apparatjik) and I jammed out for hours on various distortion instruments until our fingers were tired.”

Over the last week, Lowell has been posting audio clips on Soundcloud from the two-hour jam session she did with Magne on July 3rd. Here are the links:
Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4

Other links:
Lowell Facebook pageSex cells info and gallery
Art on Canvas blog – pictures from Lowell workshop
Northern Transmissions – interview with Lowell about working with Apparatjik

Magne co-writes song for new Backstreet Boys album

Magne has co-written one of the songs on the upcoming Backstreet Boys album In a World Like This, which is released on July 30th. The song is called “Breathe” and was written by Martin Terefe, Andreas Olsson, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, Nick Whitecross and Magne Furuholmen.

This is the group’s eighth studio album, and was partly recorded at Martin Terefe’s Kensaltown Recording Studios in London. In total, Martin Terefe has co-written and produced four of the songs on the album (plus an iTunes bonus track).

“Breathe” can be heard on YouTube.

Paul joins Spark Management

Still busy in the studio

Still busy in New York

Paul is now represented by New York-based management company Spark Management, which was founded earlier this year to “develop the careers of exceptional artists, songwriters, producers and mix engineers”.

The company’s roster of clients also includes Mark Saunders (who co-produced a-ha’s Foot of the Mountain album) and Dan Romer (who did the music for Beasts of The Southern Wild).

Paul is described as “an active songwriter and producer for other major label artists” on the company’s website.

Spark Management founder Ollie Hammett, who previously worked for Elton John’s Rocket Music Management, said in an interview with sonicscoop.com last year:

“I think we’re in a unique position to help develop the careers of producers, in both traditional ways i.e. producing records for artists as well as new ways, too, through opportunities in digital, interactive, film, television and theater. It’s an exciting time for music producers and there are many opportunities to rewrite the rule book.”

Although Paul has reportedly been writing and producing for other artists since January 2011, nothing has been officially released so far (that we know of). These projects all seem to be shrouded in mystery for the time being.

 
Update, July 16th: A Norwegian fan met Paul in Bergen on Friday, July 12th. When asked if there would be a new Savoy album, Paul said that “various things are gonna come up soon”. More info on the WOTM Forum.

Go With The Flø festival 2013

Picture from Sunnmørsposten

Picture from Sunnmørsposten

Magne and his wife Heidi were at Flø this weekend, where they attended the annual Go With The Flø art festival. The festival included an exhibition by Damien Hirst and two concerts by Lowell.

But this year Magne was not exhibiting or performing himself:

“This time I’m only here to enjoy myself. Go With The Flø is great opportunity to make a visit to Western Norway and meet friends and acquaintances. And I’m here together with my London gallerist, Paul Stolper, who is also Damien Hirst’s gallerist”, Magne told Sunnmørsposten.

The festival’s Facebook page has a few photos of Magne and Simen Staalnacke (Moods of Norway) fishing and standing in front of a new ice cream van.

Articles:
Nye lydar på Vonheim    Kunstivalen i bilete (slideshow)
Kunstfestivalen på Flø større enn noen gang

Magne creates unique steel sculpture

Magne and his sculpture (Picture from Budstikka)

Magne and his sculpture
(Picture from Budstikka)

Magne has recently been working on a unique steel sculpture, commissioned by Norwegian billionaire Kjell Inge Røkke. This is the third major art project Magne has done for Røkke during the last year, he has previously decorated the headquarters of Aker Solutions at Fornebu and created the Code 1 sail for Røkke’s luxury yacht Aglaia.

This time Røkke wanted a spectacular steel sculpure, resembling a tree, which would eventually stand outside his luxury cabin at Oppdal. To create the sculpture, Magne decided to twist and bend a 12 meter long and 2,5 ton heavy H-beam of steel, something which has never been attempted before.

Magne has been preparing this project since late 2012, and enlisted the help of two blacksmiths and one excavator driver in the process. To get inspired, Magne took his team on a trip to Bilbao and St. Sebastian earlier this month, to study the works of Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida.

Last weekend, the final process of twisting the H-beam started. The newspaper Budstikka has a long article documenting the project (including a slideshow) on its website, which can be found here.

Morten to perform at Night of the Proms tour

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Morten will headline the annual Night Of The Proms tour in Germany and Luxembourg later this year, his official website announced today.

Night of the Proms is an annual series of concerts held around Europe, which mixes pop music with classical music.

There will be 18 arena shows in 13 different cities, and Morten will apparently sing 4-5 songs each night.

Here’s some info from the official Night of the Proms website:

“To mark the 20th anniversary of AIDA Night of the Proms in Germany, the musical event once again presents an exclusive mix of international top artists. During this jubilee edition, the symphonic orchestra Il Novecento will accompany Morten Harket (the voice of A-HA), rising star Amy Macdonald, John Miles, the Berlin rock’n’roll band The Baseballs and the Japanese pianist Hiromi as classical soloist.”

The dates:

29 November: Lanxess Arena, Cologne
30 November: Lanxess Arena, Cologne
1 December: Arena, Oberhausen
4 December: Messehalle, Erfurt
5 December: SAP Arena, Mannheim
6 December: Festhalle, Frankfurt
7 December: Festhalle, Frankfurt
8 December: Westfalenhalle, Dortmund
10 December: Coque, Luxembourg City
11 December: Schleyerhalle, Stuttgart
13 December: Olympiahalle, Munich
14 December: Olympiahalle, Munich
15 December: Olympiahalle, Munich
18 December: TUI Arena, Hannover
19 December: O2 World, Berlin
20 December: O2 World, Hamburg
21 December: O2 World, Hamburg
22 December: ÖVB Arena, Bremen

For ticket links, please visit mortenharket.com.

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