This weekend the Blues in Hell festival is happening at Hell, a place in Stjoerdal, close Trondheim in Norway. This is the fifth year for the festival, and in my opinion it is one of the best and most charming blues festivals in Norway. This year The Original Blues Brothers, Rory Block, Alvin Youngblood and Tommy Castro are some of the headliners. (The picture shows Big Jay from the 2009 festival)

The festival venue is the train station at Hell, wher they use a Belgian mirror tent for the main stage, plus a smaller tent for the acoustic stage. The festival has used the same mirror tent for four years, this year they have rented a bigger one. The tent gives the festival a special atmosphere that distinguishes it from many other festivals. In 2010 they were voted the second best smaller festival in Europe. (Above, Delbert McClinton from the 2009 festival)

The name Hell is an old Norwegian word, meaning a shallow cave in the mountain side. But if you know your blues history, you will remember the legend about Robert Johnson who allegedly sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads, then the name of the festival isn’t that much wrong. (Above, Marcia Ball from the 2008 festival)

Here are more pictures of some of artists from 2008-2010 while we are waiting for the weekend. I’ll be back with more pictures after the festival is over. (Above, Bjoern Berge from the 2010 festival)