Posts Tagged ‘rockheim’

Bridges album release in Trondheim

Paul Waaktaar-Savoy, Viggo Bondi, Magne Furuholmen and Øystein Jevanord at the “Våkenatt” album launch in Trondheim yesterday

All four members of Bridges were at the Rockheim museum of popular Norwegian music in Trondheim yesterday, for the official release of their second album Våkenatt. Originally intended for release in 1981, as the follow-up to 1980’s Fakkeltog, the album is finally seeing the light of day this week, 37 years later.

The band members talked to the press and signed copies of the vinyl box set for fans who had pre-ordered it. An NRK TV news report from the event can be seen here (starts at 04:12).

“For me this is not just an historical document, but a new release. When I sat down to have a proper listen to the music again a couple of years ago, I was shocked by how good it sounded. We were an incredibly tight band, and this was music recorded live by four guys in a studio. We would often nail a song on the first or second take”, Paul told Aftenposten in an interview last week.

Mixing the album was done over a few days in Paul’s New York studio, and he wanted to keep things simple.

“I didn’t want the music to sound too modern, even if that would have been possible now. That’s why I came up with a dogma that only equipment invented and available pre-1981 could by used when doing the mix. That became my way of doing it. To make the album sound as good as possible, but not by cheating.”

 
When asked if there’s more to come from Bridges, Paul says:

“There are a few more songs [in the archives], but they didn’t fit in and would have been wrong to include on this album. Playing this material live again would have been cool, obviously, but it would be quite an undertaking to pull it off.”

“In any event, it feels really good and fitting to release it now. Many will view this as the story of an album being released 38 years later, but personally I’m just a really big fan of the album itself”, Paul told Aftenposten.

900 vinyl copies of the Våkenatt album have been pressed in total, of which 700 numbered copies are available for sale. The album can be ordered from Rockheim Musical Archives.

The album has already received in-depth reviews in English by Greg Lansdowne for The Electricity Club and by Christopher Hopkins for Campaign For More a-ha Remastered Deluxes.

Links:
NRK: Forgjengeren til A-ha ute med skjult album – 38 år etter at de laget det
Dagsavisen: Broen over til a-ha (paywall)
Aftenposten: Forløperen til A-ha slippes nå – etter 38 år (paywall)
Adresseavisen: – De prøvde å ta musikken vår til utlandet. Vi burde jo bare ha dytta etter (paywall)

Magne attends Bent Sølves Orkester exhibition opening at Rockheim

Magne at Rockheim, January 29th (Screenshot from NRK Midtnytt)

Magne at Rockheim, January 29th
(Screenshot from NRK Midtnytt)

Magne attended the opening of a new exhibition at the Rockheim pop and rock museum in Trondheim yesterday. The exhibition, which he has helped put together, tells the story of his father Kåre Furuholmen’s dance orchestra Bent Sølves Orkester.

The six-piece orchestra, named Bent Sølves after Magne’s favorite teddybear, was formed in Oslo in June 1967.

With Kåre Furuholmen on trumpet, the orchestra toured extensively around Norway, including residencies at hotels and showboats. They also appeared regularly on television.

Disaster struck on 1 May 1969, when on their way to a gig in Sweden, their plane crashed near Drammen. The pilot and all the five musicians onboard died. Only their saxophonist survived, as he had decided to drive instead.

Kåre Furuholmen on stage in 1968

Kåre Furuholmen on stage in 1968

“I have vivid memories of him practicing his trumpet, but a lot of the other memories I have of him are family stories that have been told so often they become memories”, Magne told Adresseavisen yesterday (subscribers only).

“The first time I met Morten Harket, we walked home together after a party. It was a long walk, and when we had talked about the important stuff – what music we liked – we needed to find other topics of conversation. What our parents were doing, things like that. I told him that my father died in a plane crash in 1969. Morten remained completely silent for a while, before he told me that he was an eyewitness to the plane crash in Drammen. Together with his parents he was so close by that he saw the plane hit the ground. That’s quite a special coincidence”, Magne said.

Magne has previously talked about his father in an Aftenposten article in 2008 and the NRK documentary Dance for Daddy – a portrait of Magne Furuholmen in 2011.

More info about the exhibition can be found at rockheim.no. Update: There was also a short TV report from the opening on NRK Midtnytt on February 2nd.

Secret message in a time capsule

The time capsules on display at Rockheim 
(Picture from NRK.no)

In connection with the Hall of Fame induction at Rockheim, five time capsules with information about each artist have been put together, NRK Trøndelag reports.

Each time capsule, which is basically a steel container, contains pictures, biographies, discographies and recordings. It also contains a secret message to the future from (or on behalf of) the inductees.

The capsules will be on display at Rockheim over the next year, before they are sealed shut. They will then be placed somewhere in Trondheim for the next 50 years, before they are to be opened.

So mark your calendars folks, and be prepared for a secret message from a-ha sometime in 2062.

a-ha inducted into Norwegian Hall of Fame

Magne interviewed after the ceremony

a-ha were among the first five bands and artists to be inducted into the new Hall of Fame of Norwegian popular music at the Rockheim museum in Trondheim last night.

Around 100 specially invited guests were gathered at Rockheim to honour the inductees at a closed ceremony. Only Magne was on hand to represent a-ha, as Morten and Paul were unable to attend.

“It’s a great honour to be mentioned alongside Alf Prøysen, Wenche Myhre, Jokke og Valentinerne and Åge Aleksandersen”, Magne told Adressa.no’s web-TV after the ceremony.

“Since we have retired as a-ha, the band’s body of work now has to live on in the history books. It’s therefore very nice to become part of something that will preserve music history for generations to come”, Magne added to NTB.

a-ha were inducted by Trond Giske, who is the Norwegian Minister of Trade and Industry (and former Minister of Culture). Giske’s speech “was worth the trip alone”, Magne said afterwards.

A few pictures from the ceremony can be seen here (Magne and manager Harald Wiik) and here (Magne in conversation with host Rune Nilsson).

a-ha to be inducted into Norwegian “Hall of Fame”

The Rockheim museum 
(Picture by Jakob)

Rockheim – the Norwegian museum of popular music in Trondheim – today announced the first five bands/artists to be inducted into the museum’s new “Hall of Fame”.

They are: a-ha, Alf Prøysen, Jokke & Valentinerne, Wenche Myhre and Åge Aleksandersen.

A jury consisting of 88 people from the music business and media held a vote to determine the final five from the inital list of fifteen nominees.

“These five are worthy members [of the Hall of Fame]. They are all equally worthy”, Petter Myhr – the director at Rockheim – said in a comment.

The induction ceremony will be held at the Rockheim museum on November 6th. (Rescheduled from August 21st due to the recent terror attacks).

Magne comments on “Hall of Fame” nomination

The list of nominees for the Rockheim museum’s “Hall of Fame” has already sparked a heated debate among so-called “music experts” in Norway. Still, at least everyone seem to agree that a-ha deserve their place on the list.

In a interview with the newspaper Dagbladet, Magne says that he appreciates the nomination:

“This is really great. a-ha is kind of existing in a “Hall of Fame” mode at the moment – after all we have nowhere else to be – so it’s a nice thing to be nominated.”

Dagbladet has also set up their own, highly unofficial, vote among their readers. a-ha is currently in second place, behind Jokke og Valentinerne.

“That’s cool, because I was certain that everyone were sick and tired of a-ha after everything that happened last year. So I would like to extend a big thank you to Dagbladet’s readers for their patience”, Magne says.

He doesn’t hide the fact that it’s good to be recognized:

“It’s important for us to feel represented in Norwegian music history, so in that sense it feels good.”

 
In other news, Morten apparently visited Moscow this weekend. He was there to speak/perform at a private event. Additional details were not available.

a-ha nominated for Norwegian “Hall of Fame”

 

Rockheim – the Norwegian museum of popular music in Trondheim – is planning to induct five bands and artists into a new “Hall of Fame” of Norwegian music later this year.

The first 15 nominees were revealed at a press conference at the National Library in Oslo today, and among them is a-ha. Other nominees include Alf Prøysen, Bjørn Eidsvåg, Åge Aleksandersen, Lars Lillo-Stenberg and Anne Grethe Preus. The whole list can be seen here.

In the jury that decided on the 15 nominees were the musicians Marit Larsen, Øystein Greni and Janove Ottesen, among others. To be considered, the band or artist needed to have their debut album released more than 25 years ago.

Another jury consisting of 100 people (60 musicians and 40 people from the music business and media) are now going to have a vote to determine the final five to be included in the “Hall of Fame”.

The induction ceremony will be held at Rockheim on August 21st this year.

Magne and Morten visit Rockheim

"How on earth could you wear that, Morten?" Magne studies old a-ha photos at the Rockheim museum in Trondheim today. (Picture from NRK Trøndelag)

“How on earth could you wear that, Morten?”
Magne studies old a-ha photos at the Rockheim museum in Trondheim today.
(Picture from NRK Trøndelag)

Magne and Morten were in Trondheim today to promote Saturday’s concert at Lerkendal stadium. Adresseavisen has a video interview with the guys here.

They also made a visit to Rockheim – the new interactive center/museum for Norwegian pop and rock, which opened earlier this month. The a-ha exhibit seems to be prominently featured at Rockheim, and Magne found some early Bridges photos that he had never seen before.

They are both touched by the reception they’ve been getting at the Norwegian concerts.

Morten: “It’s special for us to be at home in Norway and be met like this. I’m proud of the band“.

Magne: “There’s a really good atmosphere, we can feel that we’re being embraced and that this means a lot to people“.

A video report from their visit to Rockheim can be seen here (starts after 13.30 minutes): NRK Midtnytt 31.08.10

 

Here is another of my video clips from the Bergen concert: Cry Wolf

Be also sure to check out Lena’s videos from the soundcheck (there are 7 so far):
a-ha Bergen 28.08.2010 Soundcheck Part 1

And Claudia’s videos from the concert, like “Crying in the Rain”.

 

Several fans have asked me to mention a new petition for a-ha to stream the last concert on December 4th online. So, here it is: petitions24.com/signatures/a-halivestream/

But, as Catherine writes on WOTM, management is already well aware that fans want the final show to be streamed, so there really is no need for another petition.

 

And here is an interview with graphic designer Jeri Heiden about the HHAL album cover: Uncovered: a-ha, “Hunting High and Low”

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