devils dyke
We drove along the lumpy road that leads to a very ugly 60s built pub. It is a monstrosity which seems so out of place in the surrounding beauty of the landscape. John loves his geography so I knew he would be blown away by the huge expanse of chalk hills that rise up and then down abruptly to the valley below the hill we stood on. A skilled operator was showing off his drone which looked quite spectacular against the fading light and dramatic vista. After the intense heat we had all been suffering from the wind was cold and so we left and headed back for dinner at the hotel.
The flight
to Oslo was fairly uneventful though delayed but we made our connection for the
flight to Trondheim. The waiting around and delays grow ever more irritating
and debilitating so I won't bother recording the details here.
The flight to Trondheim passed over some of the
wild countryside I love and as we landed I felt already at home in my favourite
foreign country. John had not been to Norway before and as always, he was
devouring the sights and scenes with great relish. Our meeting at the airport
was made extra special by the wonderful VW van that was to convey us to the Smeby
home.
the edgar mobile
At this stage
I want to tell you something about our hosts. Both Jostein and Helena Smeby
were Ski Jumpers who competed in national and World championship events and
at the Winter Olympics. This was very interesting for John and myself because
John is an all round sport fan and I have always watched ski jumping in awe. It
seems to me, to be a ludicrously beautiful and dangerous thing. Jostein, who has coached Helena, says he
misses the rush and Helena is quite determined to make a return to to the
sport. Meanwhile Jostein is a teacher at
a local school and is the leader in the band Arabs In Aspic. Helena is a lab
technician at a nearby milk supplier. They have two of the happiest little kids
I've ever seen. They are Wilma and Felix.
One of the
special things about this trip was that we had been invited to stay for a few
days. This is always special giving the opportunity to really engage with folk
and get to know them. The next day was supposed to be about sightseeing or
fishing but the rain poured down and we became more concerned about the concert
in the garden which was to happen on the following day. I felt quite tired so a
day lounging around in good company was very welcome.
A succession
of Jostein and Helena's friends came by and it was very convivial and very
interesting. They all love 70s music and especially if it is on vinyl. A couple of the younger ones seemed to like some of the music since the 70s so that was cool. At one point it seemed like every one had ski
jumped or was ski jumping. One of the younger jumpers had named his son Edgar.
I could never have jumped myself but I like the thought that there might be a
ski jumping star of the future, named after me. I wish him health and happiness what ever he does.
After consuming considerable amounts of good cognac and good conversation on the previous evening and into the early hours, John and I cut back on the following evening before the day of the performance and retired a little bit earlier. The rain held off in the morning and by mid day in spite of the odd shower, the sun came out and it seemed we were set to have our gig in the garden as planned.
After consuming considerable amounts of good cognac and good conversation on the previous evening and into the early hours, John and I cut back on the following evening before the day of the performance and retired a little bit earlier. The rain held off in the morning and by mid day in spite of the odd shower, the sun came out and it seemed we were set to have our gig in the garden as planned.
A pig was
roasting and the garden was a hive of activity. Everyone was working flat out as they had been for many days planning
and organising the event. After a sound
check with Jostein at the mixer we were ready to roll. The weather stayed warm
and bright and I played and sang my heart out. Simple as that. There was
nothing left after one encore. The audience was as good as it gets. They
understood me and that is the key. These people had only really known me
through the EBB catalogue but they embraced the re invention with warmth and enthusiasm.
Most importantly Jostein and Helena were very happy and satisfied so job done.
Mission accomplished.
Later we all
piled into transport to take us to down town Trondheim to a small club in a
cellar where Arabs in Aspic were to
perform a free show as a rehearsal. Most of the equipment was set up when we
arrived and Jostein set about getting his guitar gear together. Soon they were
knocking out their contemporary version of 70s prog rock. The songs are sung in
Norwegian as well as English. They have a tough core with tight arrangements
and screaming keys with some great vintage style organ licks and impossibly high backing vocals. The drummer and
the bass player have obviously been round and round their parts until they seem
effortlessly smooth. The whole is not smooth. It has jagged peaks and fat blocky dynamic frequencies at the centre. The percussionist while new to the band has moments which
are spell binding. With a little refinement it will be special and unusual.
Josteins guitar playing is unusual in that he
rarely plays a double speed part. Actually I get very quickly tired of so much
prog guitar that runs around at top speed with no emotional content what so ever.
The guitar work is very studied, heavy and some times sweet and melodic and there is an emphasis on precision. This is true
of the band in general but not to the exclusion of playing a bit loose in a good
way. The lead vocals don't seem to be so importantly stated as the music but that works and the overall vocal delivery fits like a glove with the music.
In many ways their music would not usually be among my fave genres but the Arabs are not just another flabby prog covers band but are a well drilled outfit who love prog and believe in what they do. Back in the day I winced a bit when the term prog was mentioned in the same breath as the EBB. Having said that I can admire such commitment to a time and a vintage sound that stands up today, especially when so much hard work has gone into it all and it rocks. Arabs in Aspic rock.
In many ways their music would not usually be among my fave genres but the Arabs are not just another flabby prog covers band but are a well drilled outfit who love prog and believe in what they do. Back in the day I winced a bit when the term prog was mentioned in the same breath as the EBB. Having said that I can admire such commitment to a time and a vintage sound that stands up today, especially when so much hard work has gone into it all and it rocks. Arabs in Aspic rock.
It looks like we might be rocking together if
plots and plans come together for a festival appearance in the winter where it
is intended that I sing a couple of songs with them.
The next day we went on a boat trip to a little island that used to be a prison holding the more notoriously dangerous criminals. From the fort we could see where the old viking strongholds had been situated and why they were there. The rain fell a little on the way back but it was a pleasant change from the excessive heat of recent weeks. The buildings along what is essentially a canal are beautiful and protected by law.
along the canal
After the boat ride we went on a guided tour of an alternative community in a largely industrial area.
An old German submarine pen dominates the scene on the other side of the community by the water side. Most of the housing in the community is built from re cycled/ up cycled materials. There is a communal garden and a free shop where people take stuff no longer needed and others take it for their own use. There is a cycle repairer who fixes up and build bikes from bits and pieces. The local authority planned to trash the whole area including some old workers housing with a view to housing more industrial facilities. This was overturned and the community arose out of the decision. Can we have more of this please?
After some refreshment at the community pub we headed off to meet
with Jostein for dinner at the top of the rotating restaurant that dominates
the sky line a mile or so from Jostein and Helena's house. This was so cool
watching the city go by as we ate. Eventually we could see the island we had
visited by boat earlier. The light is special as the evening wears on. It never
really gets dark in the summer unless it is very cloudy.
in the rotating restaurant
Julia is a
Polish woman who is an accomplished artist. She had been visiting for the
concert and is working on the sleeve design for the new Arabs live album She
has made previous art works for Arabs records and is a good friend of Jostein and Helena. Julia was always asking John and
me if we needed anything so often that she decided she would be our new "Mom".
She was concerned when we told he she could have a day off and then we decided
it would be Mothers Day so she could have a day off with a good conscience. It
was all great fun. Late one
night she began to tell John and I something of her life as a child in Poland and
then she told us the story of her grandmother who survived Auschwitz. I have
been working on a song and now I had a story which inspired a lyric. We
discussed a series of paintings that Julia might make around the story and we
both agreed we had provided each other with something to make as creators. Win
- win!
I mention this because this is an example of how travel and engaging
with new people can bring great creative possibilities. I have a couple of
ideas about re working some of Jostein and the bands work and if all of it
comes together in any form this will have been a very productive as well as very
satisfying adventure.
We had spent
some great days with lovely and clever people. The kindness and hospitality shown to us by everyone was overwhelming
at times. Of course our special thanks go to Jostein and Helena for inviting us
into their home and for looking after us so well.
Helena, yours truly and Jostein
Arabs in Aspic are
Jostein Smeby: Songwriter/composer, guitarist, vocals and mixing
Eskil Nyhus: Drums
Stig Arve Jørgensen: Keys and vocals
Erik Paulsen: Bass and vocals
Alessandro Elide: Perc
Thanks to Julia for being Mom. Thanks for the boat trip to Boatowners: Thor Erik Larsen and the man with the lamp, logo and everything, Otto Johnsen.
Thanks for the great welcome at the airport with the man with the van local drummer and teacher Trond Bernhard Olsen, who is also the drummer for 5 local bands.
I look
forward to the next episode of our adventure.
The Switzerland adventure post will follow in a day or so.
peace
The Switzerland adventure post will follow in a day or so.
peace
Thanks for sharing what seems to have been a wonderful trip.I have visited Norway on three occasions, twice in the winter months and once during the summer. It is truly a magical place.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the Swiss report.
All the best
Keith
Enchanting
ReplyDeleteThanks . Only just came across EBB today via a fb page called Strictly Commercial.. well done on playing music so long. Like your political angle. I am Australian Musician /poet. Currently in Istanbul awaiting visa extension for 3 months arts residency in Hungary. Researching a story behind a piece of music I wrote intuitively for Hungarian friend when he died. He told me of fishing bodies out of the Danube as a 15 year old. He was a strong swimmer. I didn’t understand what he was telling me 20 years ago. I do now.... Geoffrey Datson
ReplyDelete