lördag 29 mars 2014

Between singing and spoken word

Our days of work is just over.
Susanne, Maria, Ulrika and me singing all day long. Preparing for next step of contemporary composing within the folk music context.

Increadible how the paradox of time is confusing my mind. Time went so quickly. At the same time it feels like I've been there in the sweet little village of Noraström for a long time. We manage to do so much together with the music.

Ideas we brought into our project has now been tried out in reality. Many improvisation structures has been very fruitful. We go back home now to compleete the music for the larger ensemble. We'll be 8 folk singer performing this!

Below Susanne and Ulrika are singing  instantly from a book of hilarious written text, deep and poetic. It requires long experience to do it in two part singing. We all took turns doing improvisations, and sometimes all four at the same time.




Eva

torsdag 27 mars 2014

Folkvocal - the never ending river of melodies

Doing what we like most.
Singing full days. Creating new songs.
Exploring new grounds the way just we can do.
So much fun, sometimes we just explode in laughter.

Improvising music with these three amazing ladies is a never ending river of melodies where we set sail and aim for new horizons.

What happens is that we have a common ground in the folk music that makes it very easy to start. Where it all ends might be something no one expected. Four personalities but a common language.



The yellow house to the left is where we stay. Prästkragens Inn.

Springtime is in the air.

Ulrika Bodén.

Maria Misgeld.

Susanne Rosenberg.


Here you can see more, Folkvocal, Susanne Rosenberg

I don't know if it's the fresh air or all the focus and creativity that makes us sleep early in the night. Tomorrow is a new day in the djungle of music!
Eva

måndag 24 mars 2014

Retreat for music writing


Time to open the door to the musical treasures.

For three days I will be away in the far north of Sweden, outside Sundsvall in a small village. Together with the amazing singstresses, Susanne Rosenberg, Maria Misgeld and Ulrika Bodén I will dig deep and weave a totally new creation of vocal music. Contemporary folk songs.
Putting pieces together, contributing each one of us, circling the ideas around and try it out live.
This is the first meeting. So far we have been preparing one by one at home, just mailing ideas to eachother.

So I'll put my boots on the ground and go to the living room song circle.

We'll stay at a small countryside inn, a house build 1810 for the priest and his family in those days. I imagine the walls are full of forgotten songs.

Eva

fredag 21 mars 2014

Equinox, my kind of spring

Flowers found at dog walk in the forest.



I'm doing a three week focus on Alexander Technique-challenge starting yesterday on equinox, the day when time is equal day and night.
Each day we participants give ourselves 20 minutes laying on the floor stretching out our spine, expanding our length in a soft way. Breathing, staying actively awake but relaxed.
My kind of spring :-)



tisdag 18 mars 2014

Blues dance happening now

Let me introduce you to......
Our lovely teachers at The Blues Garden, Vicci & Adamo and Alba & Gaston.






Dance for dance sake.
Make new art all the time.




What a weekend we had!
Springtime in Gotheburg.



Water is served.

Prep for late nighe live music.

Happy dancers.

The ballon-exercise.


Saving bees for the garden.

Dance with new dancers.

Have a look at this beautiful blog if you like to see more pics: Kristin Ladström

Eva

måndag 17 mars 2014

Ambidancetrous at the Blues Garden 2014

The enchanted forest.
Where dancers grow.

The dance hall decor by Elin Ruist. You rock Elin!


"Disbelief in magic can force a poor soul into believing in government and business..."
Tom Robbins


"......everyone feels equally welcome; dark or fair, short or tall, lead or follow or ambidancetrous; where everyone feels comfortable dancing with everyone; where we can all enjoy each other’s company in a relaxed atmosphere, share a meal or a drink, chat about things inconsequential or world-changing, then celebrate it all with a dance...."
The gardeners of the blues garden at WCJ, Gothenburg.

This is how spring is made. My kind of spring :-)
Eva

torsdag 13 mars 2014

Do the right thing in the right time

Sweet!

Life is a game

And yet, I believe there's lots of reason to live and just be. Stop the busy life, take a break and just be. There's no need to proove. No need to achieve things all the time.
Note to self....

Piet Hein, once more.... (in danish)

People have options
for uncountable joy.
The most noble of all
is to be able when you have to.

(my translation)

Eva



onsdag 12 mars 2014

Miner's Hymns Movie

Time to move on to solar energy and leave the fossil era behind.

Remembering the families who were all living their entire lives in the hands of the mine corporations, and fought for their rights to have safe conditions and a living wage.


)


Bill Morrisson - director
Jóhann Jóhannsson - music

I saw this movie some years ago at the Gothenburg Film Festival. Film clips from archives in a mix with modern day filming of the same area of the mines now turned into parking lots, buildings and malls. No dialogue, only the music by Jóhann Jóhannsson, composer from Iceland.

Eva

tisdag 11 mars 2014

Traveller, language-wizard, musician and poet, Ville Söderbaum

There are lots of amazing people out there!

Ville Söderbaum. Foto Anna-Maria Ahlén.


A truly inspirational person is Ville Söderbaum who have travelled many places, learned several languages, writes poetry and plays the saxophone.
Ville grew up in Uppsala, have lived for some time in bigger cities but is currently living in Kautokeino in the remote north of Norway.

Two years ago I was in the final steps of writing my songbook, a collection of love songs. I got great help at the time then by Ville Söderbaum. Ville who has swedish as first language and Nils Johan Päiviö who is native in the Sami language translated a jojk for the book. It was important for me to have a sami jojk represented in a book that collect songs from the whole nordic area.

Check out more about Ville Söderbaum on his own blog. Written in sami language, how cool isn't that? Check also the link Ville Söderbaum and you will find blog posts in swedish too.
I have now ordered his book of poetry: Dagar i Kautokeino

When I was in my twenties I bought a poetry book written by iconic sami multi artist Nils Aslak Valkeapää. I can admit that Valkeapää is the poet that really got a hold on me and inspired me to take interest in poetry. I had the chance once to listen to Valkeapää live, in 2001 in Kautokeino actually. Unforgettable.

Eva

måndag 10 mars 2014

Hallå hallå filmtips

Passa på att se filmen Hallå hallå.
Särskilt kul för oss med rötterna i Falun. Hög igenkänningsfaktor.




En fin film tycker jag. Lite skruvade rollkaraktärer men jag köper det, helt ok att det blir lite tillspetsat ibland. Och jag skrattade högt och mycket, det är härligt att få skratta! Jag skrattade mycket mer åt Hallå hallå än åt Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann. Även den sistnämnda filmen har jag sett nyss så det har varit mycket komedi på bio för mig.

Eva

söndag 9 mars 2014

Springtime Myst music cross pollination

Spring time is around the corner.
Myst is just going to wake up again after som winter sleep.....

Due to unforseen circumstances we have had a period of inactivity and that is part of the natural flow.
Go with the flow.

It has been a time for letting the seeds of music grow in silence.

In January we did a intense workshop with composer Roger Johansson on his witty crazy beautiful music he has written just for Myst. After that we have been occupied in different other projects, one by one.
Travelling.
Touring.
Recovering a broken arm muscle.
Doing youth work in our local neighbourhood.
Lot's of power in this!

Eva



lördag 8 mars 2014

8 March International Womens Day

Artist: Malin Bellman

Girls today, women tomorrow.

I'm deeply proud to announce I'm currently working with a girls respect group where we meet on weekly basis in Hjällbo church in Gothenburg.
We have together discussed the goals and ambition of this particular group. It's mainly about getting true friends who support in all situations, who respect you for the person you are, who allow you to be yourself and even push you to become even more yourself. Cheerish the unique of each member.

Among the first things we did was to name the group after an animal and bear was choosen. A perfect choice for courage and strength, and also for the aspect of live your dream.

Right now we are team building through games and fun + discussion, sharing in circle, doing some writing on the topic of getting to know your personality and be accepted for that uniquness.

Today I got an idea. I'll ask the girls if they would like to create a gallery of portraits of courageous women and girls to hang on our own wall of fame. I can name many I wish to see there. I just wonder what suggestions might come from the group.

My heroines, among many others. Enjoy the links to their quotes, or other historic information:

Malala YousafzaiShannen Koostachin, Astrid Lindgren, Tove JanssonLina Thomsgård Lupita Nyongo, Marie Curie, Miranda July, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Sarah Ogan Gunning, Mother Jones.
Founders of Idle No More: Sheelah McLean, Nina Wilson, Sylvia McAdam, Jessica Gordon.