Level & Tyson Q&A

Your name: 

Richard Noir and Lorentz Johansen.

Where are you from? 

Oslo, Norway.

Name of band:

Level & Tyson.

Who else is in your band?

Sofie Søndervik Sæther (bass and vocals), Namra Saleem (Keys, guitar and backing vocals) Joakim Kristiansen (Guitar) and Mattis Møksvold Lauritzsen (Drums, backing vocals and electronics).

How would you describe yourselves and your music? 

I think we are all freaks. I think that is the glue that binds us. And that is reflected in the music as well. 

Who are your main influences musically? 

That's really a tough question to answer since we get influenced by new stuff all the time, and the fact that everyone in the band has different things they're into, but we all have a lot of love for bands and artists like  Sly and the Family Stone, Prince, The Pixies, Pere Ubu, The Cure, Velvet Underground. But also new things like Rihanna, Kendrik Lamar etc.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

To keep moving I guess, and have fun while we do it. The road is the goal.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

Finishing projects always feel like a highlight. When the mix of an album is ready and you can't stop listening to the music it's a real rush. But I guess you meant commercially? In that case, our first tour in the USA felt like a step up and a personal achievement for me.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

They are forgotten =)

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

We tend to be pretty restless and looking for new things, and that's kinda the unwritten rule in the band; we're making music that keeps us interested at the time. The song that represent the band the most at this point and the upcoming music I think is «Tied Up». It's fun and has layers of emotion.

Where can we listen to it?

soundcloud.com/levelandtyson/sets/gruesome-twosome

Where can we find out more about your music?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/levelandtyson/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LevelandTyson

Spotify: Level & Tyson

ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/no/artist/level-tyson/id540162583

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_srch_drd_B008FQSQ7A?ie=UTF8&field-keywords=Level%20%26%20Tyson&index=digital-music&search-type=ss

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/levelandtyson/

Webpage: www.levelandtyson.com

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask? 

When can you hear some new from us? In August!

HellHikers Q&A

Your name:

Rolf Royce.

Where are you from?

AaleSin City, a.k.a Aalesund, small city on the north-west coast of Norway.

Name of band: 

HellHikers.

Who else is in your band? 

Rex Erection - Drums of Destruction, Devilry & Disorder. 

Roy Redrum - SickString of Sloth, Sleaze & Sinphony

Per Perplex - Bass of Brute, Beer & Boozery. 

I'm doing the Vocals of Vomit, Vile & Vehemence.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

Beerwolves Howlin' In Töxic Heat, White Trash Weekend Alcoholic Scum playing HöRRiFic HellPönkRöck. HellHikers Sounds like Burning Wheels, Smoking Guns, Hot Babes and Cheap Drinking in the Twilight Zone. HellHikers Sounds Like HellPönkRöck...And We're Not Afraid to Use Capitol Letters!

Who are your main influences musically?

We started out pretty much as a Misfits-worship band in 2003, with some influences from Ramones, Turboneger and Raga Rockers. Our fascination with old horror movies, cheesy sci-fi and sleazy sexploitation from the 60s and 70s are still there in the lyrics, but musically HellHikers has grown darker, heavier and more complex with the years. 

It's only a natural development, since there's been quite some line-up changes with new members bringing in new inspiration and old members going back their heavy metal/hard rock roots. You'll probably find just as much Sabbath, Stooges and Motorhead as Misfits in our sound today, and I think our next album "Death Rattle & Roll" goes to prove just that.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

None of us are 20 any more, so ambitions of becoming big rock stars are long gone, if we ever had any. All current members have been playing in several bands since their early teens, a lot of cover-bands as well, so I guess we're basically music fans playing for the fun, the beer and the love of music. We still like to develop into something we feel is HellHikers though, that is us, that sounds like us and looks like us, in our beer-soaked horror-universe, and all positive recognition and compliments for that is always nice. 
Playing some gigs outside Norway some day wouldn't hurt us either. We'll take whatever comes our way and do the best with it.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

I can't speak for the rest of the guys, but for me personally it must be supporting Thulsa Doom in 2005 in Sogndal, when they were touring Norway. Not to be confused with the American act, Thulsa Doom from Norway are my favorite Norwegian band next to Raga Rockers, and they're still playing live. That's why! Their third album, "..and then take you to a place were jars are kept" is a masterpiece, and I really hope they release another album soon!

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Can't remember, must have made sure to get drunk enough to forget it. 

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

That's a hard one, but I'll pick "Murder & Mayhem" from "Ghoulham Tales"(2011). I think this track represents the old and new HellHikers best. Our first EP "CreEPers From The Rawk Lagoon" (2006) was, as mentioned, very Misfits-like; Short songs, simple chords with lots of hooks and melodies. By the time "Ghoulham Tales" was released, we wanted to put a lot more ROCK into the term "HellPunkRock", both in the riffs and sound, and so we did. I know for sure that some of the old fans were not too happy about this, but to keep ourselves interested and inspired to go on, HellHikers had to take a step further.

Where can we listen to it? 

Murder & Mayhem

Where can we find out more about your music? 

HellHikers on Facebook

HellHikers on Twitter

HellHikers on Soundcloud

HellHikers on Reverb Nation

HellHikers on Spotify

HellHikers on YouTube

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to about?

We hope to release "Death Rattle & Roll" later this year. We got nine tracks in the mixing process, and they already sound killer! HellHikers 2015 sounds really nasty, we hope you'll love it and like our Facebook page!

Liv Austen Q&A

Your name:

Liv Austen.

Where are you from?

I am originally from Norway - but now I live in London!

Name of band: 

I go under my name, Liv Austen, but I have a permanent band backing me.

Who else is in your band?

I have two guitarists; Lee and Mike, my drummer Luke, bass player Nigel and pianist Wayne.

How would you describe yourselves and your music?

I usually go between calling what I do new country and singer/songwriter. I feel the latter is a bit vague! I guess country is the best way to describe it. I love discovering new things to do musically with my songs - especially because my band is fantastic, but my songs are very lyric-driven. I wouldn't be a songwriter if I couldn't put the lyrics first. To me having something to say in your songs is incredibly important! But we also like to just have fun and entertain people.

Who are your main influences musically?

Great Nashville songwriters like Jessi Alexander, Brett James, Brandy Clark and Hilary Lindsey. Singers I love are Carrie Underwood, Jana Kramer, Little Big Town, Hunter Hayes and Lee Ann Womack to name a few!

What do you hope to achieve in music?

My goal is to be able to live off my music, meaning I would love to tour with my band and share my songs to audiences in different countries all over the world. I have so many songs I want to share and my next project will probably be another EP, after that I hope to start releasing full length albums. And I see myself as a songwriter just as much as I see myself as a singer, so I would love to have other artists sing songs that I've written.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

I think the highlight so far was to perform at the Brooklyn Bowl stage at Country2Country, the UK's biggest festival for modern country. I had no idea if anyone was going to show up and I walked on stage to an audience of several hundred people! It was a fantastic experience and has lead to a lot of great opportunities. I was very nervous and excited that day and probably didn't do my best vocal performance! But it was a wonderful memory and a moment that made me think "yes, I can do this".

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Great question! When I was first starting out I would take any gig that came my way, and I remember performing in this quite trendy pub, with some guys thinking they were way too hipster and cool for my music trying to heckle me while I was performing. I can always think back to those first gigs from before I had a fan base and it'll definitely keep my feet on the ground!

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

That is incredibly difficult. But I am going to go with Rain On My Side, it is my first single from my debut EP and you can hear that it is somewhere between pop and country.

Where can we listen to it?

You can check it out on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUKRblGOJxI or on SoundCloud here: https://soundcloud.com/liv-austen/rain-on-my-side

Where can we find out more about your music?

Here are many different ways to find out more about me and hear my music:

www.livausten.com

www.reverbnation.com/livausten

www.youtube.com/livausten

www.facebook.com/livausten

www.twitter.com/livausten

www.soundcloud.com/liv-austen

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7pcJG4WgxymCV95qSNHtoS

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/workin-mans-dream-ep/id910477180

YouTube link to EP: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL21Kb9mz22Jfnn2sqzl60fL5QfZ43j8Ph

Anything else you’d like to say about your music that I forgot to ask?

I have quite a lot of shows coming up - both acoustic and with a full band - you can have a look on my website to see if I'm playing near you in the future!

Plain Q&A

Your name:

Karl Ove Jeppestøl.

Where are you from?

I am actually from a small place called Jeppestøl, south of Norway.

Name of band:

Plain.

Who else is in your band?

David Solbjørg, Halvor Dahle and Morten Sigurd Hansen.

How would you describe yourselves?

If I would have to use just one word I would say melancholic, otherwise I don’t know. I’m really one of those people that just want to enjoy life, but I always have too much to do.

Who are your main influences musically?

The two persons that has inspired me the most is Chino Moreno and Maynard Keenan. And also, I grew up listening to Pantera and Sepultura a lot. Those bands definitely inspired me as well.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Have fun, express myself and hopefully inspire a few people!

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Getting on a list of the most promising Norwegian bands on the most famous Norwegian rock radio show.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Hope you refer to my career? Otherwise there are a lot! I don’t know, also as a musician you experience a lot of bad moments.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

I would say “Ingenmanns”. This song has, for me, all the important ingredients: heaviness, melancholy and melody. But sadly we wont release before in a months time.

Of our released songs, I like Roadrunner the best, because its just so right in your face!

Where can we listen to it?

http://www.soundcloud.com/plainoslo

Where can we find out more about your music?

http://www.twitter.com/plainno

https://www.facebook.com/plainoslo

You can also find us on iTunes and spotyfy!

Anything else you’d like to say that I forgot to ask?

I can mention that we will release our first album in February next year. Most of our songs are already finished and we are just stoked about them all!

Jenny's Vision Project Q&A

Your name: 

Kristianzhe.

Where are you from? 

Norway.

Name of band: 

Jenny's Vision Project.

Who else is in your band? 

From the beginning "We" are referred to my brother, my sister and myself. After that it has expanded a lot. We have musicians and vocalists joined worldwide and only picks the best of the best. Quality over quantity.

How would you describe yourselves? 

Jennys Vision is not tied to a specific genre, but plays music as we like. Mixing up genres we love. We think our music is unique and that it fits every crowd out there.

Who are your main influences musically? 

ToTo, Richard Page, Sigvart Dagsland, Pages, U2.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 

To get our music heard worldwide for a big audience. Both on scenes and radio.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 

The highlight must be when we was "Soundclouder Of The Day" two times in a row. Soundcloud is the biggest audio site on internet, with soon 10million followers only on Facebook alone. We was featured on their Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter account for nearly a week, and did get massive exposure. The plays, listeners, fans rushed into us. Got around 20k plays during two days. Can't get better exposure than that.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 

I will not forget the song we created for a fan that had cancer. I was told he was crying of joy when he listened to it. I did know his musical preferences, so we nailed that one. We also made a second song in that sequel, but we released it the same day he was brought into the hospital for the last time, never to wake up again. So he did never get the chance listening to that song.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 

Touch Of Light for sure. It is the fundament in our music project. Catchy pop/rock song with a high quality professional female vocalist. It is a song about never giving up, no matter how dark life can be sometimes.

Where can we listen to it?

https://soundcloud.com/kristianzhe/touch-of-light

Where can we find out more about your music? 

We have two main bases on internet: https://soundcloud.com/kristianzhe and our homesite: http://jennysmusicproject.com/ Our twitter account is: https://twitter.com/kristianzhe 

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask? 

I would like to say that vocalists and musicians all over the world are welcome to join us in our musical journey. Just send us a email thru our website (contact scheme). I would also like to thank Soundcloud for the massive exposure we had thru the site. It is beyond belief! Thanks.

New video from Mona & Maria

HOTLY-tipped Nordic duo Mona & Maria have released their first music video for their track Babyflowers, taken from debut album My Sun.

The Oslo duo - Mona Andersen and Maria Knudsen - have written songs together for years and both were central parts of the band Bazooka Boppers, with whom they released two albums.

After the band's break-up in 2010, Mona and Maria continued together.

They said: "Something was let loose after we started working on songs that did not fit the sound of the band we were in. We strongly felt the need to create something more personal, and we started making melodies to something obscure that had been lying dormant in both of us. 

"We both were terrified of singing alone, but together we sort of found a third person to make us feel secure. We began experimenting with harmonies. It became our way of being together. After several rounds and recordings of these songs, the record started to take shape, and we found our soundscape by working with dynamics. 

"We wanted to have both the low-key and intimate, and the grandiose and dramatic, to have both darkness and light at once. We wanted to make unpretentious arrangements that enhanced the lyrics and the melodies, and not buried them. The result was My Sun.”

The album was recorded at Engfelt & Forsgren Studio with Christian Engfelt (Cato Salsa Experience, Apricot and Turns, and as a producer Lionheart Brothers, Cheaters and more) as a producer, along with the girls themselves. Engfelt also plays the bass on a few of the songs.

Check out the video above and for more on the duo visit facebook.com/monaogmaria

My Misspent Youth Q&A

Your name: Finn Solemdal.

Where are you from?

Bergen, Norway.

Name of band:

My Misspent Youth.

Who else is in your band?

Stig Blindheim-Hansen, Terje Tjervaag, Elisabeth Hatlenes Julton, Marius Mathisen.

How would you describe yourselves?

Completely addicted to music. Without it, life would be useless.

Who are your main influences musically?

PJ Harvey, Pixies, Breeders, Sliversun Pickups, Sonic Youth, Tool and a bunch of other bands.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

Make music that I’m happy with myself. A big bonus if someone else also likes it,
and great if we get some good reviews, airplay and get to do some gigs.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Releasing the Colours Gone Cold album was hard work, but so satisfying when it was
done, and to play the songs live at our release party was magic! 

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

A lot of bad stuff has happened, but I try to focus on the positive stuff.

If you had to choose just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Very hard question, but I think the title track, «Colours Gone Cold», is a track that has some key
My Misspent Youth elements, but then again so does a lot of the other songs as well.
I think it’s our strength that our songs sounds different from each other, but still sounds like MMY.

Where can we listen to it?

https://www.facebook.com/mymisspentyouth/app_178091127385

https://myspace.com/mymisspentyouth

Where can we find out more about your music?

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mymisspentyouth

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyMisspentYouth

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/no/artist/my-misspent-youth/id488785165?ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Last FM: http://www.last.fm/music/My+Misspent+Youth

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MusicIsLifeNorway

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/my-misspent-youth

Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colours-Gone-Cold/dp/B007LKMXBG

A song by song review: http://www.cathouse.co.uk/reviews/my-misspent-youth-colours-gone-cold-album-review/

Anything else you’d like to say that I forgot to ask?

See us in Glasgow on October 25th, and Edinburgh the 26th. We’re also hoping to get more gigs in the UK next year. Thanks for getting in touch, and we would love to hear from music lovers out there!

Original sounds from Helldorado

NORWAY'S Helldorado are set to release their new album Bones In The Closet on May 13th.

Formed in the Spring of 2001 in Stavanger from the remains of local band The Tramps, Helldorado aimed to bring a darker and broader sound.

The following year they won the ZOOM battle of the bands competition, with a full Norwegian tour and gigs in Germany and the UK as their prize.

Their first mini album Lost Highway followed soon after before a long spell in the studio.

Their sound, described as "Mexican rocked up surf from Norway" bursts through on their album The Ballad Of Nora Lee.

You can find out more about the band at www.helldorado.no, www.facebook.com/helldoradoofficial or www.twitter.com/helldoradorock or check out the video above.