Redd Volkaert – Ace Guitarist from Austin

Redd Volkaert © Per Ole HagenSince SXSW is coming up in a couple of weeks, I have found a story I wrote on another blog three years ago about one of the best musicians there, Redd Volkaert.

If you visit the Continental Club on South Congress in Austin any Saturday afternoon or Sunday night, you are sure to see Redd Volkaert, one of the best guitarists I have seen in a long life. He plays with his own quartet on Saturdays and with his band Heybale! on Sundays. I met him before Heybale!’s concert the last Sunday in March 2010.

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by:Larm – More Pictures From Saturday

Highasakite © Per Ole Hagenby:larm is over for this year and it has been four night with lots of music. I saw around 20 bands and liked most of them. One of my long time favorites, Honningbarna, played on Saturday, and I saw two more bands that night that I haven’t seen before. The first one was Heyerdahl, and the second Highasakite (picture above).

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Honningbarna – Excellent Cello Punk at by:Larm

Honningbarna © Per Ole HagenThe front guy of the Norwegian band Honningbarna, Edvard Valberg, looks like a young man who does what his parents tell him, and dutifully goes to cello practice every week. But appearances can deceive, on stage he is like a firework of punky energy, treating his cello like a punching ball while the other band members jump around on stage. As a band, Honningbarna is one of the live bands that gives the most value for the money these days.

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Shining, “One One One” live at by:Larm

Shining © Per Ole HagenOne of Norway’s best live bands in all styles, Shining, had a huge success with their last album “Blackjazz”. The album is their own mix between black metal and jazz, and is a hard, vital and extremely well played collection of good songs. April 8th they will release theis new album, “One One One”, and last night they played the whole album from track one to the end at Rockefeller during by:Larm in Oslo.

Update –  Shining won the Statoil grant of 1 million NOK (ap. $180.000) today at by:Larm. If you ask me, a well deserved win!

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By:Larm 2013 Oslo Is Coming Up

Bernhoft © Per Ole HagenNext week the 17th by:Larm festival will be arranged in Oslo. From the start in Trondheim in 1997, it has grown to be an imoportant festival for the music business in Norway. Every year record company executives, managers, media people and an increasing number of international representatives gather in Oslo for four days of music and seminars. Here are some of the artists from last year’s by:Larm while we are counting down to February 13th. (Picture above: Bernhoft)

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The Inferno Festival Kick Off 2013

Nidingr © Per Ole HagenEvery Easter almost 2000 black metal fans gather in Oslo for their annual Inferno festival and family gathering. They come from Australia, China, India, USA, Europe and South America, and Norway. While many of the native Norwegians go to their cabins or hotels in the mountains to ski, the metal fans come together at Rockefeller and John Dee, two clubs in the same house in Oslo. (Picture above: Nidingr)

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