Paraschiv Tony, myself and Trude giving it max after the show
What can I say about the trip that took me the furthest
north I have ever been? It is difficult
to sum up the good times I had there with some of the loveliest folk I have met
since I embarked on touring my solo show.
It is a two hour flight to Oslo with a two hour flight
from there to Alta which nestles between the mountains and fjords. The problem is the four hour wait between
flights. The scenery during flight from Oslo to Alta is stunning. You would be hard
pushed to find wilderness like it anywhere in Europe.
I was met at the airport by Tjere Ramstad who runs the club Galleri. I liked him
immediately and soon I discovered why. This is a man committed to providing
quality entertainment in Alta and he has a vast knowledge and understanding of the
music of our times. He has a large command of the English language and so the
discussions and debates began.
This is the Lappish
zone. The Sami live a short distance away. The light is wonderful with little
darkness but it was much cooler than I thought it would be. The population of
Alta is around 20.000 and it is a big town by local standards. By coincidence the Arctic Tour bike race,
which I usually watch on TV, came through town but I opted to hang out and
rehearse bits of songs I planned to play for the first time in a long time.
I have to thank so many people for their kindness but
it was Trude and Per Rane who welcomed me in their home first and where I
stayed, except for one night after the Saturday show when I stayed very late at
the club. Per Rane plays a mean blues
harmonica and Trude has a very sweet fragile singing voice. Per Rane's Halibut
soup was northern gourmet food of the highest order. I like to eat any kind of
sea food and though this kind of fresh fish meal is probably usual fare for the
locals in Alta, to me this was very special.
Reindeer was also on offer and that was also a special treat.
On the
Friday I went down to the club Galleri for a sound check and saw the town for
the first time. The whole place built
mostly with wood was burned to the ground by the occupying German troops in
World War two. People were forced from their homes and ordered to travel south.
Consequently the town is modern and not to the taste of many locals I spoke
with. Personally I like it. It has a functional quality and is laid out much
like I imagine a colony on the moon might be.
This is the
place where the German battle ship Tirpitz was sunk in a nearby fjiord. If you are interested in modern history check
out
The club
Galleri is in the central part of town where my shows were part of a large
festival taking place right in the town centre. Several stages with large PA
systems were pumping out all kinds of music all day long and into the night.
As I walked
into the club for the first time I was met by Daniel the club doorman with the
warmest greeting and handshake. Daniel is a wise man from Nigeria and the kind
of guy you would definitely make room for in your lifeboat. ( regular readers
will know what I mean). later I watched Daniel deal with difficult customers. He had a kind and considerate approach but it was clear he would be very able
to deal with anyone who was unable to get his clear message.
Two really
nice guys, singer / guitarist Kurt Ivar Strom and Bjorn Hagerupsen on bass,
were my support act. Kurt Ivar is legendary in these parts for, among other things, being the man
most responsible for evangelising on the EBB back in the day. He played EBB
material and turned a lot of people on to our songs. Evening over rooftops is
like a national anthem in this area of Norway. I can't tell you how many people
said it was their favourite all time song. It gives me a warm feeling to know
that we were so much a part of people's lives and for such a long time.
The club was
packed when the guys hit the stage at around mid night. The crowd were very
drunk for the most part and very noisy. The guys ran through their set of well
chosen covers. It went quite well considering no one was really listening. To
make matters worse the pa system was not working well and I struggled at times.
There was no point in my usual story telling. Eventually I got to what I later
called " THE SONG" and played Evening over rooftops. Job done after a
fashion. Some of us stayed late after the Friday show and Tony who works in the
club decided to sing some karaoke followed by Trude. I joined in with some backing vocals and then
Trude and I performed some yoik together. I loved that duet as much as anything
during my time in Alta and we did a repeat performance for friends back at Per
Rane's and Trude's house, very late in the night. Outside the sun shone dimly
through the gloom in the mountains that signalled a change in the weather and
the coming of a long winter.
I prayed the
following evenings concert would not be a repeat performance of Friday. I had
come a long way to show off my stuff so I hoped for better on Saturday. Terje
got a couple of PA guys to look at things next day and soon everything sounded
fine. Marcela, lovely wife of Terje, buzzed around looking after every one and
soon it was time to roll.
We played
earlier than on Friday. Kurt Ivar and Bjorn played a cracking set. Kurt Ivar
manages to choose songs to cover that really suit his voice and so he makes the
songs his own, almost as if he had written them. They rocked. Great!
I was soon
having a great time on stage. People listened to my songs and stories and it all
went well. They were a lovely audience
and they made the gig special. I finished with " THE SONG " (EORT)
played my little outro, a variation on my intro, and that was that. I left the
stage with the sound of the crowd ringing in my ears. What a great night! I hung around for a long time after chatting
and drinking copious amounts of cognac, filled with good energy and high as a
kite. It was very late and time to go. I was offered a bed for the night with
Roar and Mary Ann Olsen. They live in a beautiful wooden house by the fjord. Mary Ann is a very talented painter from the Philippines
and has her work exhibited in the club Galleri where she works behind the bar
with Tony from Romania and Anastasia
from Russia. This is an international family. I was so surprised when Roar
offered to buy one of his wife's paintings for me. I was very touched by this
and I look forward to it arriving here. thank you so much for that guys.
Mary Ann's
work was evident in the room I slept in where her organic decorating work on
the walls was still a work in progress. I woke to a a very welcome breakfast of noodles and
eggs and a view of the fjord to die for. It was a beautiful sunny day.
Later
that day Terje, Marcela and Toni took me to friends where "Grill Master" Paraschiv Tony made splendid barbecue. It was another very nice evening with
lots of happy chatter and warm hospitality.
Next day it
was departure day. It is always good to come home to the UK but I really felt a
little sadness when leaving Terje at the airport to check in. The good thing is
that we have plans for the future and so I am sure we shall all get together
again one day soon.
Thank you to
everyone who made this trip so very special for me - Terje and Marcela Ramstad,
Per Rane Moland and Trude, Brita ,Ole Anton, Roar and Mary Ann Olsen, Håkon
Johansen Tom Tangen, Hallgeir and Bente, Rita Heitmann and Rolf Erik, Paraschiv Tony, Daniel and
Anastasia.
peace
