Archive for 2014

a-ha announce 30th anniversary concert at Rock in Rio 2015

a-ha in Rio de Janeiro this week (Promotional photo taken by Just Loomis)

a-ha in Rio de Janeiro this week
(Promotional photo taken by Just Loomis)

a-ha will reunite next year, to play a special 30th anniversary concert at the Rock In Rio Festival in September 2015, a-ha.com announced tonight.

Magne says in the press release:

“The huge concert at Maracanã Stadium in 1991 is one of the absolute highlights of a-ha’s career. It was just impossible to turn down this request to celebrate the festival’s 30 year history, especially as it coincides with the 30 year anniversary of the band itself. This felt like I imagine it must be to hear about the 1000-year wave approaching shore; even as a retired surfer you just want to dust off your board and throw yourself into the water.”

“We have been invited as so-called “special guests” at Rock In Rio 2015. We have been getting a lot of offers since we disbanded, but this was so unique that it was hard to say no”, Magne added to NRK tonight.

Magne interviewed by G1 at Maracana Stadium

Magne interviewed by G1 at Maracana Stadium

“Money has not been an issue at all, as far as I know. There’s not much money involved in this, it’s just something all three of us wanted to do”, he says.

“We had retired for good, and I guess we still are. But in this case we were all three so surprised that this was something the festival wanted. And one should be allowed to change one’s mind.”

Magne can’t confirm additional concerts in 2015 at this point:

“We haven’t made any additional plans beyond Rio, and it was difficult enough to rally the troops for this concert. In a moment of bravado we agreed to do this, and then we’ll see if it leads to something more. The plan now is just to appear at Rock In Rio once more to celebrate the festival and ourselves.”

Morten, Magne and Paul appeared at Maracanã Stadium tonight, to announce the news for the Brazilian press. A group of around 10 specially invited a-ha fans were also there to meet the band.

a-ha at Maracana Stadium, 4 December 2014

a-ha at Maracana Stadium, 4 December 2014

To read the whole press release and see new band photos taken by Just Loomis in Rio this week, visit a-ha.com and the a-ha Facebook Page.

News articles, videos and photos:
Jornal Nacional: Banda A-Ha volta para tocar no Rock in Rio 2015 (video)
O Globo: Rock in Rio e A-ha se unem na celebração… (with video)
G1: A-ha toca no Rock in Rio em 2015…
VG: a-ha gjenforenes til sommeren
Flickr: Photo set of a-ha at Maracana Stadium
VG: 30 år med a-ha-opplevelser
VG: Slik kan a-ha finne konsertformen

Morten performs at Marita Foundation’s 30th Anniversary

Morten, sporting a Movember moustache, on stage in Oslo last night (Screenshot from YouTube video)

Morten, sporting a Movember moustache, on stage in Oslo last night
(Screenshot from YouTube video)

Morten performed three songs together with Kjetil Bjerkestrand last night, at the 30th anniversary celebration of the Marita Foundation held at the Salem Church in Oslo.

The Marita Foundation, started in 1984, is a Christian foundation that aims to prevent drug use among young people and to help recovering addicts build a new life for themselves. Morten has been supporting the foundation since the mid-90s, and contributed a special version of “A Kind Of Christmas Card” for the documentary film Marita – En advarsel fra noen som overlevde in 1996.

Morten performing "A Change Is Gonna Come" (Screenshot from YouTube video)

Morten performing “A Change Is Gonna Come” (Screenshot from YouTube video)

Morten spoke to the audience about how much he admires the work done by the foundation and its leader, Leiv Holstad, who was given The King’s Medal of Merit at the event last night:

“You’ve done an impressive amount of work, Leiv, for which you’ve been honoured by the King tonight – about time you were, in my opinion. You’d be the first to say that it’s not just you, there are so many people working together with you, of course. The rest of us are priveleged to be able to lend our support, and we are proud of the work you are doing.”

Morten also talked about how anyone can end up in addiction, but that it’s possible to break away from it with the help of people like Leiv Holstad and the Marita Foundation:

“The force of habit is a powerful thing. And breaking free from a negative downward spiral is about understanding the force of habit, and realizing that you always have the choice to break free and climb upwards instead. It’s a very fragile balance. For me as well. I’m standing here on stage and have been doing this for 30 years, but it’s not easy. People tend to look at me as this rock-solid guy who works hard and just keeps going – and that’s true on some level – but I could easily have ended up in a bad place at any time.”

Some video clips from last night’s event have been posted on YouTube by Lena:

A Kind Of Christmas Card    Morten speaks
There Is A Place    A Change Is Gonna Come

Vårt Land article: Hedret Holstad
Pictures by Angelica Kjos on Instagram: Picture 1  Picture 2
Instagram picture by Jofrid Landa
Instagram picture by Audun Rensel

a-ha Fan Weekend 2014

Terry Slater, Harald Wiik, Magne and Tini Flaat Mykland on stage at Samfunnsalen, Oslo

Terry Slater, Harald Wiik, Magne and Tini Flaat Mykland on stage at Samfunnsalen, Oslo
(Picture by Jakob)

Fans from all over the world once again gathered in Oslo on October 24-25 for the a-ha Fan Weekend 2014, which included Morten’s last two concerts of the Brother tour at Sentrum Scene, an a-ha convention with a Q&A session and a fan party.

Many were looking particularly forward to hearing former a-ha manager Terry Slater, who provided interesting stories from his long career and shared his thoughts on the music business then and now.

Current a-ha/Morten Harket manager Harald Wiik talked about the upcoming release plans in connection with the 30th anniversary of Hunting High and Low in 2015:

“The plan is – don’t hold it against me if not everything happens – but as of now there are plans for a 5-disc set of Hunting High And Low, with lots of new material. Plus heavy vinyls of all the first five albums. Also a box set of the vinyls called The Warner Years, for the first five albums. And then Deluxe Editions of Stay On These Roads, East Of The Sun and Memorial Beach. And some other things that I can’t tell you about now. But save your money!”

Morten at Sentrum Scene, October 24th

Morten at Sentrum Scene, October 24th
(Picture by Jakob)

Magne came to Oslo straight from the opening of the new concert house in Fosnavåg, where he did two performances with Apparatjik on October 23 and 24. He brought along two early copies of the long-awaited Apparatjik World book, of which Terry Slater was given one copy, while the other was donated as a prize in the Red Cross charity raffle held during the fan party:

“It should be out before Christmas at some point. I was hoping to have enough copies to bring tonight, but the printers couldn’t make it in time.”

While on stage at the a-ha convention, Magne also talked candidly about how he wasn’t satisfied with how the Beatles movie turned out:

“I wanted to make a much more radical score than what ended up [in the movie]. There was a struggle, a fight between me and the director, who came in a little bit late in the process, to make him understand what I was trying to do. So to my mind, the last version that I heard was a compromise where they had used my music in a way that I wasn’t a hundred percent satisfied with. I won’t be able to give you a percentage, as I haven’t seen the finished one. (…) The album is different, because I made the album afterwards, a bit more like I wanted the movie to sound.”

Magne previously talked about his problems with the Beatles film project in a radio interview on NRK P13 last month.

Morten visiting the fan party (Picture by Jakob)

Morten visiting the fan party
(Picture by Jakob)

At the fan party in the evening, Morten showed up on stage to meet the fans. One fan asked him about his plans for next year:

“I’m being asked if I have plans – big plans – for next year, which I believe I have. And those plans might include you guys. (…) It will be an interesting year, next year”, Morten said.

“We should have a lot of fun with numbers over the next year. Keep on guessing!”, Harald Wiik told the fans earlier on Saturday – referring to the numbers recently posted on a-ha.com’s Facebook page; 44 and 365, which have led to fan speculations about a possible a-ha reunion in 2015.

Check out more coverage of the a-ha Fan Weekend on a-ha.com’s Twitter profile and Facebook page.

Other links:
TV2 Nyhetskanalen – interview with Morten at soundcheck, Oct. 24th
NRK Østlandssendingen – report from Sentrum Scene
dbmag.no – Morten Harket concert review (5/6)
Vimeo – Safe With Me (Oct. 24th) by After Event Productions
Vimeo – Whispering Heart (Oct. 24th) by After Event Productions
Vimeo – Brother (Oct. 24th) by After Event Productions
Facebook – Sentrum Scene photos by StageWorks
Facebook – Sentrum Scene photos by Christina Galbraith
YouTube – Morten visiting the fan party
YouTube – Harald Wiik speaking at the fan convention
YouTube – Terry Slater speaking at the fan convention

Over Oslo Festivalen: complete soundboard recording

The music show Radio Rock on NRK P1 in Norway has recently broadcast a complete soundboard recording of Morten’s concert at the Over Oslo Festival on June 20th, split into three separate parts.

Morten at Over Oslo Festivalen, June 20th (Picture by Jakob)

Morten at Over Oslo Festivalen, June 20th
(Picture by Jakob)

Click on the links below to listen. The audio will be available online until February/March 2015.

Part 1 (August 15th)
1. Do You Remember Me?
2. Oh What A Night
3. Spanish Steps
4. End Of The Line
5. Movies

Part 2 (August 29th)
6. Safe With Me
7. Send Me An Angel
8. Did I Leave You Behind
9. Wild Seed

Part 3 (September 19th)
10. Los Angeles
11. Whispering Heart
12. Brother
13. A Kind Of Christmas Card

Morten back in the studio

Haugesund, September 26th (From YouTube video by Iwona Magdzinska)

Morten on stage in Haugesund, September 26th
(From YouTube video by Iwona Magdzinska)

Morten was back in Sweden last week, working on new music with Peter Kvint.

“I’m back in the studio with Peter and we’re trying out some stuff. I can’t say that much about it now, but it will be out at some point”, Morten told Radio 102 ahead of his concert in Haugesund.

Peter Kvint also joined Morten at the concerts in Norway this weekend, filling in for Vicky Singh on guitar, while Rickard Nilsson filled in for Christer Karlsson on keyboard.

In the Radio 102 interview, Morten also mentioned that he’s keen on more touring:

“I’m proud of my band, they are excellent musicians. And they have chosen to go on tour with me, even though they could have played with anyone they wanted. They really want to do this, so I would have liked to play even more together with them. I would actually have preferred to do a more extensive tour than we’ve done so far”.

The studio session was also mentioned in an interview with Fædrelandsvennen (subscribers only), in connection with his concert in Kristiansand.

Recent Norwegian concerts – media links:

Bergen, 19 September:
YouTube videos   Bergensavisen review   Hissig.no review
Musikknyheter.no review   Gaffa.no review

Stavanger, 20 September:
YouTube videos   Rogalands Avis article

Haugesund, 26 September:
“Spanish Steps” live   Morten arriving at the airport
Haugesunds Avis interview

Kristiansand, 27 September:
“Los Angeles” live

Magne and Tini on Senkveld

Magne and Tini performing "You Can't Have It Both Ways" on Senkveld, September 26th

Magne and Tini performing “You Can’t Have It Both Ways” on Senkveld, September 26th

Magne and Tini Flaat Mykland were guests on the TV2 talkshow Senkveld on Friday night, to promote Tini’s debut album Undo My Heart which will be released in Norway on October 3rd. The album features several songs written by Magne, including Tini’s new version of “Running Out Of Reasons” from Magne’s solo album A Dot Of Black In
The Blue Of Your Bliss
.

“Tini initially appeared a bit secretive and didn’t quite fit the format of The Voice, as she didn’t really try to show off in her performances. Instead she stood out by being very pure and focused on the music. When I brought the talents I wanted to work with over to England, Tini was the one who got the best reactions and who people wanted to help develop”, Magne said.

“It’s been really exciting. Magne is a fantastic mentor who has helped me a lot, not least by allowing me to grow my ambitions. He has also introduced me to a great network of people, both in Norway and abroad”, Tini said.

Following the interview, Magne and Tini were joined by a few additional musicians and performed a live version of the new single “You Can’t Have It Both Ways”, which has also been written by Magne.

Senkveld is available online through TV2 Sumo (subscribers only).

More info about Tini: tinispage.com

‘Do You Remember Me?’ music video

From the music video; Morten on stage in Kristiansand, July 11th

From the music video; Morten on stage in Kristiansand, July 11th

The new music video for “Do You Remember Me?”, directed by Stian Andersen, premiered on VGTV today.

The black-and-white video was shot during Morten’s solo tour this summer and includes footage from the concerts at Over Oslo Festivalen, Paris, London, Stavernfestivalen and Odderøya Live in June and July.

VG also has an interview with Morten, who turns 55 years old today.

Update: the video has now been added to YouTube by a-ha.com.

Campaign for more a-ha remasters

The remastered deluxe edition of Scoundrel Days. Will more albums get the same treatment?

The remastered deluxe edition of Scoundrel Days. Will more albums get the same treatment?

A new fan campaign has now been started on Facebook, urging Warner Brothers to continue releasing remastered deluxe versions of a-ha’s back catalogue:

“In 2010, WB/Rhino released deluxe 2-CD editions of the first 2 a-ha albums with added demos, extended mixes, live versions and b-side only versions. These products were fantastic, not only greatly improving the sound of these seminal albums but also greatly expanding them with unheard material.

It seemed that the record company were only at the beginning of a release campaign to further improve ALL the a-ha albums. However, since 2010, there have been no further archive projects and the fans have been left waiting and waiting. At the very least, the next 3 a-ha albums (Stay On These Roads/East Of The Sun West Of The Moon/Memorial Beach) should get the same treatment with expansion to 2-CD sets and inclusion of rare and unheard material. “Stay On These Roads” in particular is crying out for re-mastering as the only available CD release sounds very tinny and lo-fi.

In these days of nostalgia, it seems that every artist from the same period apart from a-ha is getting the deluxe treatment. Consequently, their back catalogue is in a mess and seriously needs sorting out. This is a plea to Warner Brothers to do as we ask and accord a-ha with the same respect as it does with the other (sometimes lesser) artists on it’s own roster.”

To read more about the campaign and “like” the page, head over to Facebook.

‘Self-Portraits’ exhibition in Oslo

From A-magasinet, September 5th, with Magne in front of one of the self-portraits, My self as an alphabet, inspired by Edvard Munch's The Scream.

From A-magasinet, September 5th, with Magne in front of one of the self-portraits, My self as an alphabet, inspired by Edvard Munch’s The Scream.

Magne’s latest solo exhibition Self-Portraits opened at Kunstverket Galleri in Oslo on Thursday, September 4th.

The large woodcuts that make up this new exhibition are not traditional self-portraits, but rather Magne’s own idea of what a self-portrait could be.

“I have not been interested in portraying myself in a traditional way. Under the guise of the exhibition title, I’ve been more interested in pursuing an idea. The idea has been to explore different sides of myself; the one I think I am, but perhaps also someone I’m not. It’s also about imagining what it would have been like to be someone else”, Magne said in 6-page interview in A-magasinet yesterday, which is also available online at aftenposten.no.

The interview was done by well-known psychiatrist and author Finn Skårderud.

“I’ve been collecting my whole life, been inspired by others, listened to music, like John Lennon, looked at artworks, and now I’m putting it on display. These images references a lot of things and people that have made an impact, and which have influenced me”, Magne said.

A photo gallery from the preparations and the exhibition opening has been posted on Kunstverket Galleri’s Facebook page.

Self-Portraits will be on display until September 28th.

There is also an article about Magne in the September issue of Art, a German magazine. A photo gallery from Magne’s atelier in Asker in connection with the article can be seen at art-magazin.de.

‘Beatles’ soundtrack now available

Album cover

Album cover

The soundtrack album for the movie Beatles, featuring original music composed by Magne, was released digitally in Norway yesterday and is now available on Spotify, Wimp and iTunes.

30-second samples can be heard at wimp.no.

The album includes 17 tracks, of which 13 are instrumentals by Magne. It also includes a version of “Come Together” by Apparatjik (Feat. Icona Pop & Erik Hassle), “Et Kyss Til” by Hvitmalt Gjerde (taken from their recently released second album), “Sukker og Salt” by Rosenberg Allstars, plus Magne’s own fragile version of “Yesterday”.

“Yeah, that’s me singing. Someone wanted to include “Yesterday”, and we initially tried to use the original Beatles version, but that particular scene screams for something less perfect, and I thought it could be worth a try. It was of course necessary to do a completely different version, as I could never get close to the original one, but the idea was that it needed a certain roughness to match the atmosphere [in the scene]”, Magne told Dagbladet in a recent interview.

When recording the string parts at Abbey Road, Magne brought in a group of musicians from London Philharmonic Orchestra, while David Davidson was flown in from Nashville to oversee the arrangements.

“David Davidson has a PhD in Beatles-strings and is a fantastic guy. He has done string arrangements for a-ha in the past, so I know him well”, Magne told Dagbladet.

Beatles had its nationwide premiere in Norway on August 29th. Although the reviews have been mixed and the box office results have been weaker than expected, Magne’s music has been well-received.

a-ha fan weekend update

This week a-ha.com has posted some updates about the a-ha fan weekend in Oslo next month, including info on an extra concert and guest speakers at the fan convention:

Morten’s concert at Sentrum Scene in Oslo on October 24 has sold out, and a second night has been added! There will be a concert on October 25 at Sentrum Scene, and tickets will go on sale on Monday, September 8 via Billettservice.

We are so pleased to announce that we have confirmed two very special guest speakers for the fan convention: Stian Andersen & Terry Slater!

The ticket sale for the concert on October 25 actually started yesterday on Billettservice, not September 8.

Visit a-ha.com and the 2014 a-ha Fan Party & Convention Facebook page for more info about the events.

Update on new Savoy album

New album from Frode, Lauren and Paul

New album from Frode, Lauren and Paul

Savoy-drummer Frode Unneland was interviewed by Åsane Tidende this week, in connection with his other band Evig Din For Alltid which will be releasing its second album Åtte Minutter Fra Solen on September 5th.

Back in April, Paul told a-ha.com that a new Savoy album – the first since 2007’s Savoy Songbook Vol. 1 – would be finalized with Frode this summer. The Åsane Tidende interview now states that Frode will be going to New York next month to work on the Savoy album with Paul and Lauren. But when it will be released remains to be seen.

As for Paul, he’s been working on something in his home studio in Oslo this summer, with Karl Oluf Wennerberg on the drums. Karl Oluf posted a picture from the sessions on Instagram last month.

Links:
Evig Din For Alltid on Soundcloud and Facebook

Paul on Facebook and Instagram

Morten on Sommeråpent

Sommeråpent, August 15th

Sommeråpent, August 15th

Morten was interviewed and did an acoustic performance of “Do You Remember Me?” on NRK1’s Sommeråpent last night.

He was joined by Karl Oluf Wennerberg and Vicky Singh on the show, which was broadcast live from the roof of the Oslo Opera House.

The episode is available on NRK’s web-TV:
Interview with Morten
Morten and Marte Stokstad on “The Hit”
“Do You Remember Me?”

Pictures and videos from soundcheck and backstage:
NRK Sommer on Instagram – 1
NRK Sommer on Instagram – 2
Karl Oluf on Instagram – 1
Karl Oluf on Instagram – 2
Sommeråpent on Facebook

Summer tour update

Langesund, July 19th (Picture by Jakob)

Langesund, July 19th
(Picture by Jakob)

During the last two weeks, Morten’s summer tour of Norway has continued with concerts in Brønnøysund, Langesund, Beitostølen and Trondheim.

14 songs were played at the Rootsfestival in Brønnøysund, while the audience at Wrightegaarden in Langesund got the same 18-song setlist as in Paris, London and Tysnes. No details about the setlists at Beitostølen and in Trondheim have been posted so far.

Morten’s next appearance will be on Sommeråpent on NRK1 on 15 August, while the tour continues at Elvefestivalen in Drammen on 22 August.

Here are some links to recent articles, photos and videos:

Rootsfestivalen, Brønnøysund (17 July):
– Jeg gleder meg veldig (Brønnøysunds Avis)
Morten-midt-i-livet (Helgeland Arbeiderblad)
Gullstemmen (Brønnøysunds Avis)
– Ikke foto forfra (Brønnøysunds Avis)
Rootsfestivalen on Facebook: Picture 1  Picture 2  Picture 3

Wrightegaarden, Langesund (19 July):
Turister i kø for Morten Harket (Telemarksavisa)
Venter på Morten Harket (Porsgrunns Dagblad)
Morten Harket i storform (Telemarksavisa) – with video clip
God stemning med Harket i hagen (Varden)
En blid Morten Harket laget varm stemning (Porsgrunns Dagblad)
YouTube videos from Langesund: End Of The Line (soundcheck)   Wild Seed   Oh What A Night   Darkspace   Shooting Star   Whispering Heart   Brother   Let It Be Me

Trollrock, Beitostølen (26 July):
Tåkefyrste i klarvær (Oppland Arbeiderblad)
Festivalphoto.net
Pictures by langsveien.no: Picture 1  Picture 2  Picture 3  Picture 4  Picture 5  Picture 6  Picture 7  Picture 8

Olavsfestdagene, Trondheim (31 July):
Spilte seg varm (Adresseavisen)
Nidarosfoto.no
Olavsfestdagene on Facebook: Picture 1  Picture 2

Stavernfestivalen, Odderøya Live and Tysnesfest

Tysnesfest, 12 July 2014 (Picture by Jakob)

Tysnesfest, 12 July 2014
(Picture by Jakob)

Morten played 3 festivals in Norway this weekend, starting with Stavernfestivalen in Stavern on Thursday, Odderøya Live in Kristiansand on Friday and Tysnesfest in Tysnes yesterday.

Stavernfestivalen and Odderøya Live seem to have been shortened 13-song festivals sets, while at Tysnesfest (which I attended) Morten delivered a full 18-song set.

After a slightly reserved opening, Morten warmed up to the audience in Tysnes and gave a focused and solid performance.

The Danish-Swedish band has become really tight at this point. Vicky Singh brings his own signature to the guitar parts, and the brilliant bassist Lars Danielsson really seems to be enjoying playing these songs. a-ha veterans Per Lindvall and Christer Karlsson complete the lineup.

Tysnesfest (Picture by Jakob)

Tysnesfest
(Picture by Jakob)

Tysnesfest setlist
(with links to my YouTube videos):

1. Do You Remember Me?
2. Oh What A Night
3. Spanish Steps
4. End Of The Line
5. Darkspace
6. Did I Leave You Behind
7. Send Me An Angel
8. Movies
9. Lay Me Down Tonight
10. Shooting Star
11. Safe With Me
12. There Is A Place
13. Wild Seed
14. Los Angeles
15. Whispering Heart
16. Brother
17. A Kind Of Christmas Card
18. Let It Be Me (w/ Vicky Singh)

 
More pictures from Tysnesfest:

Festival reviews and articles:
VG   Dagbladet   Østlands-Posten   Bergens Tidende

London concert, July 7th

London, July 7th (Picture by Chris F)

London, July 7th
(Picture by Chris F)

Morten’s concert at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London, rescheduled from May 16th, was held on Monday night.

The setlist and band seems to have been the same as in Paris.

Some YouTube videos:
Spanish Steps
Los Angeles
Lay Me Down Tonight
Movies
A Kind Of Christmas Card
Let It Be Me

Photos:
Getty Images

BTW, an additional concert in Russia has now been announced. Morten will be playing at the Lensoveta Palace of Culture in Saint Petersburg on October 18th.

Paris concert, July 5th

Karl Oluf Wennerberg, Lars Danielsson, Morten, Peter Kvint, Christer Karlsson and Vicky Singh

Karl Oluf Wennerberg, Lars Danielsson, Morten, Peter Kvint, Christer Karlsson and Vicky Singh
(Picture by Chris F. Click to enlarge.)

Morten was back at at l’Olympia in Paris last night, to play the first of nine concerts this month.

The Paris gig was originally going to take place on May 14th, but had to be rescheduled due to Morten’s sudden throat infection.

This time Karl Oluf Wennerberg was sitting in for Per Lindvall on the drums, while both Peter Kvint and Vicky Singh played guitar, which provided a rich sound.

The 18-song set was quite similar to the May concerts, but with “Send Me An Angel” and “Movies” replacing “When I Reached The Moon” and “Should The Rain Fall”.

These video clips from Paris have been posted online so far:
End Of The Line   Darkspace   There Is A Place    Brother

Photo gallery: caribou-photo.fr

Now Morten and the band are off to London tomorrow for another rescheduled gig, before it’s time for more Norwegian festivals, starting on Thursday. The Brother album is still doing really well in Norway, in fact it climbs up from #15 to #10 in its 12th week on the official album chart.

Morten in Musikkpraksis magazine

Musikkpraksis 3/2014

Musikkpraksis 3/2014

Morten appears on the cover of the current issue of Norwegian music magazine Musikkpraksis.

Inside there’s an 8-page article detailing the writing and recording process of the Brother album, featuring interviews with both Morten and producer Peter Kvint.

“We have built up this trust between us and have a really good collaboration going. There are creative sparks flying constantly and we always end up with something when we sit down to write. Often we’ll just sit there and jam, make melodies and just kind of float”, Peter Kvint tells the magazine.

The song they struggled the most with on the new album was “Safe With Me”, which Morten feels suffers somewhat from the production:

“That’s a very primal song, basic and simple, but also very distinct. So we had remove all the extra fluff and crap. Still we didn’t manage to remove enough crap, there are still things in there that disturb the pure nature of the song. But that’s OK, it’s not too bad. I’m at peace with it. (…) But that’s also one of the songs I like the most on the album. That one, “There Is A Place” and “Brother”. Those songs have the clearest identities.”

Morten is also honest about how Out Of My Hands and the collaboration with Steve Osborne didn’t end up exactly as planned:

“What happened was that Erik [Ljunggren] and I didn’t reach the level of contact that we really wanted with Steve Osborne. (…) Steve really has a lot to offer and is a very interesting musician and producer, but I didn’t feel that we managed to bring out the best in each other.”

Peter Kvint is asked about Morten’s abilities as a guitarist:

“I think he plays really great! Of course he doesn’t know guitar tabs and things like that, so there’s no use in suggesting ‘F major’, he he. It’s like he doesn’t want to learn those things, he wants his head to be clear – and that works for him. He likes things that are a little odd, unusual chord progressions for instance. He’ll often slip in a chord you wouldn’t have expected.”

The full article can be found in Musikkpraksis #3/2014, available now.

Moscow concert announced

Morten will return to Moscow on October 20th, to play a concert at Crocus City Hall, management announced today.

He played at the same venue on the Out Of My Hands tour in April 2012. No further Russian concerts have been announced yet.

Morten to perform on Sommeråpent

NRK 1’s traditional summer talkshow Sommeråpent will be back on Norwegian TV for six weeks this summer, starting on July 8th. This year Sommeråpent is broadcast live from the roof of the Oslo Opera House.

Morten is one of the artists scheduled to appear on the show. He will be performing on Friday, August 15th.

Attending the show is free and open for everyone.

Magne prepares Apparatjik performance

Magne interviewed by NRK in Fosnavåg, June 25th

Magne interviewed by NRK in Fosnavåg, June 25th

Magne was in Fosnavåg this Wednesday, together with Stefan Brunner from Audiokolor, to install the surveillance cameras that will turn movements into music for the upcoming Apparatjik performance at the opening of the new concert house in October.

“In many ways you could say that we’re turning Fosnavåg into sheet music, and letting the locals create the sounds”, Magne told local newspaper Vestlandsnytt.

Three cameras will capture movement patterns in different parts of Fosnavåg over the next two weeks.

“We want to urge people to be creative and perhaps do something out of the ordinary, as we think that could result in some great music. When we go through the recorded material afterwards, we will be able to locate the parts that have the most activity in front of the camera. These parts will then be edited into a musical piece of around 20 minutes, that Apparatjik will perform together with The Norwegian Radio Orchestra”, Magne says.

He adds that people who are curious about this project could also visit the Go With The Flø festival this weekend, where the Apparatjik/Audiokolor installation “Everybody is a composer!” can be experienced.

Magne was also interviewed by NRK Møre og Romsdal’s local TV news. The video clip can be seen at nrk.no.

Photos from Over Oslo Festivalen

Some photos I took at Over Oslo Festivalen (click to enlarge):

Over Oslo Festivalen, June 20th

Morten and new guitarist Vicky Singh at Over Oslo Festivalen, June 20th

Morten and new guitarist Vicky Singh at Over Oslo Festivalen, June 20th
(Picture by Jakob)

Morten played the first of his Norwegian summer concerts last night, at the Over Oslo Festival at Grefsenkollen – quite a spectacular venue overlooking the city.

He was backed by Lars Danielsson (bass), Per Lindvall (drums), Christer Karlsson (keyboard) – and new guitarist Vicky Singh from Denmark, who seems to be replacing Peter Kvint on the summer tour.

Morten’s voice seemed to be back in good shape after last month’s throat infection.

Picture by Jakob

Picture by Jakob

Being a festival, the setlist was five songs shorter than on last month’s solo tour. And there was no encore. But two songs from Letter From Egypt were added; “Movies” and “Send Me An Angel”.

Full setlist, with links to some video clips I filmed:

1. Do You Remember Me?
2. Oh What A Night
3. Spanish Steps
4. End Of The Line
5. Movies
6. Safe With Me
7. Send Me An Angel
8. Did I Leave You Behind
9. Wild Seed
10. Los Angeles
11. Whispering Heart
12. Brother
13. A Kind Of Christmas Card

Additional concerts in September

Four additional Morten Harket concerts in Norway in September were announced by the official site today. The dates are:

19 September: USF Verftet, Bergen
20 September: Stavanger Konserthus, Stavanger
26 September: Maritim Hall, Haugesund
27 September: Kilden, Kristiansand

Articles:
Bergensavisen    Rogalands Avis

Exhibition at Soli Brug

Magne in front of his ceramic jars

Magne in front of his ceramic jars

Magne is one of the artists taking part in a summer exhibition at the Soli Brug gallery in Sarpsborg, Norway, which opened on Saturday, June 14th.

In addition to paintings and graphic prints, Magne is exhibiting a collection of ceramic jars, which have been placed on top of six concrete manhole covers in connection with a new wastewater treatment system.

“The surroundings here are very beautiful and idyllic. But these new manhole covers were apparently necessary to add, and so I was asked if I could do something in connection with them. Most of what I do is about trying to turn something negative into something positive, and I feel this installation turned out really well”, Magne said in a radio interview with NRK Østfold on June 12th.

There is also a video interview with Magne at nrk.no.

The exhibition is open until June 29th.

Magne has also recently collaborated with Henrik Haugan to design the bottle for a limited series of XO Contemporary Cognac for Braastad. He was in France on June 10th to discuss the final design. More info in this French article.

Morten at Sentrum Scene in October

Morten will return to Sentrum Scene in Oslo on October 24th, for a special concert in connection with the a-ha fan weekend on October 24-25, the official site announced on Friday:

We are excited to share the news that Morten will return to Sentrum Scene in Oslo, Norway on October 24! The fan pre-sale will take place on Monday, June 16 at 9:00am CET. The public ticket sale begins on Thursday, June 19.

Here is the link to buy tickets in the fan pre-sale on Monday, June 16 – please note it will not work until 9:00am CET: FAN PRE-SALE

For more details, visit mortenharket.com.

Apparatjik to perform in Fosnavåg

Magne on stage at Roskilde, July 2012

Magne on stage at Roskilde, July 2012

Apparatjik will be performing at the opening of the new concert house in Fosnavåg, Norway, on October 23rd. This was announced at a press conference today.

They will be joined by The Norwegian Radio Orchestra for a special performance of music made by movements captured on surveillance cameras placed around Fosnavåg – similar to the “Everybody is a composer!” project in 2012.

This news follows an announcement on the official Apparatjik website – “Everybody is clapping!” – where they invite fans to record video clips of themselves clapping their hands, to be used in connection with a new recording project.

Apparatjik’s last performance was in Copenhagen in May 2013.

Articles:
Vikebladet   Sunnmørsposten   Herøynytt

New dates for Paris and London

The new dates for Morten’s concerts in Paris and London have been announced by management today:

5 July: l’Olympia, Paris, France
7 July: Shepherds Bush Empire, London, UK

We were originally reluctant to confirm new dates before we knew for a fact that Morten’s throat is back in shape. This because we did not want to risk another cancellation and disappointing you all once more.

However, it looks like Morten’s voice is already well on its way to recovery.

Adding to the fact that the only date available for Olympia this year is July 5, we feel that it is the right choice to welcome this opportunity.

Read the whole update on mortenharket.com.

Morten’s next performance was supposed to be in Kristiansand on June 7th, for TV2’s new summer show “Sommer i Dyreparken”, but he has now been removed from the list of scheduled guests.

Paris and London concerts to be rescheduled

Morten talks to the audience in Paris, May 14th

Morten talks to the audience in Paris, May 14th

Unfortunately, Morten’s concert in Paris yesterday could not go ahead as planned, due to a throat infection.

After a 30-minute delay, Morten himself came on stage at l’Olympia to announce that the concert would have to be rescheduled.

“I am so sorry guys. I have no voice to sing with. So I don’t know what to do”, he told the crowd.

“I have been looking forward to this so much, and I’m just really sorry that it’s simply not possible tonight. (…) I also have a great band with me and they are just gutted, because they were so looking forward to playing here tonight. And this has happened so fast. (…) So when I see you next time I’m gonna be back here, and it’s gonna be the same as this, as much as we can. (…) So let’s agree on a date, and it’s gonna be a date”, Morten said.

There’s a video of his speech on YouTube.

Due to his throat infection, tomorrow’s concert at Shepherds Bush Empire in London will also have to be rescheduled, management announced today on Facebook. “New dates will be announced as soon as possible, and tickets for May 14 and 16 will be valid”. A message from Morten has also been posted.

Offenbach concert, May 9th

Offenbach, May 9th

Offenbach, May 9th

Morten played the fourth and last concert in Germany on Friday, at the Capitol in Offenbach. The setlist appears to have been the same at every show so far.

Check out the YouTube videos – some really good performances here!
Spanish Steps   Oh What A Night   Lay Me Down Tonight   Darkspace
Los Angeles   Did I Leave You Behind   There Is A Place   Brother   Let It Be Me

Photo gallery:
hr-online.de

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