October 10 - Why Don't We Do It In The Road

In 1968, The Beatles released the sprawling epic simply named The Beatles, but better known as the white album, as that was the entirety of the double album design. It is more a collection of solo material, with the full band recording some of the songs, but the majority being recorded using various constellations of the band. One of my favorite songs is a raunchy little rocker of Paul McCartney's called Why Don't We Do It In The Road.

This weekend, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, and Sir Paul McCartney were the big draws to the music festival Desert Trip - and what a trip it appears to have been - including what appears to have been the first ever appearance of Why Don't We Do It In The Road - with Neil Young helping out with both vocals and a guitar solo...

October 9 - Church Of Israelvis

Today's song is by legendary Trondheim underground band Israelvis. Led by singer/guitar player Viggo Mastad, they rose from the ashes of punk rock band Angor Wat, and quickly started making a name for themselves. While I heard and liked one of their first albums, Heart To Heart Politics and lived their 1993 album Albino Blue, I really got hooked on them through the title track of their 1995 mini album, Church of Israelvis. It has an infectious groove, a crushing riff, and eerie female vocals - and it is catchy as hell. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

October 8 - Bruremarsj frå Jämtland (Bridal March from Jämtland)

Today is a pretty special day - it's the day that Chris' sister Dawn will be married to her long-time partner Paula, and I am very excited for them. I met them pretty early in my relationship with Chris, during a family reunion I kinda crashed, and I have greatly enjoyed getting to know both of them. When Chris was being treated for cancer in February and March, I got to know Dawn a lot better, as she was there helping out quite a lot, and I don't know that I can put into words how much that meant to me - and how much I appreciate her as a person and family member. I have grown very fond of her, and I am thrilled that the now is able to marry Paula, and in celebration of that, I have taken a small slice of Scandinavian tradition to present as the song of the day.

The song I have picked is a very traditional Scandinavian tune - although it is in a very modern form. From what little I have been able to gather about bridal marches (or wedding marches), the musicians would play the happy couple all the way to the steps of the church (and in Norwegian tradition, that's where weddings indeed happened), but not further - partly because a lot of the old traditional music was composed for fiddles, including the Hardanger Fiddle, and they were, as "we all know," the devil's musical instrument and could not be invited into the church.

Now, I did say Scandinavian tune for a reason, as this originated in Jämtland, which used to be Norwegian territory until the Treaty of Brømsebro in 1645, when both Jämtland and neighbouring region Härjedalen were ceded to Sweden. This really is a region that highlights the interconnectedness of the Scandinavian countries, as it was ceded to Sweden by Denmark-Norway, which at that point were a union and would be until 1814, when Norway was liberated from Denmark only to enter a new union with Sweden. But Jämtland still is a region that is very close to Norway - Norwegians from the region of Trøndelag, which is where I grew up, frequently visit either to go shopping ar simply to spend vacation time at Östersund, the only city in Jämtland and home to the festival Storsjöyran.

The band Gåte falls neatly into a more recent Scandinavian tradition of modernizing traditional music that was started in Finland and Sweden by bands like Hedningarna and Hoven Droven. They are all from the Trondheim region, and their singer went to the same high school I did - only about 10 years later. They entered Norwegian music consciousness pretty quickly from their beginnings in 1999, shone very brightly, and then called it quits in 2005 (although they did reconvene in 2009-10). They released two studio albums, and Bruremarsj Frå Jämtland is from their first album, Jygri, from 2002. It is an instrumental - so there are no lyrics and the voice is simply being used as another instrument throughout, so lose yourself in the song.

But before I let you listen, I would like to remind you, once again, that this song is being played for a very special reason. I know that I sometimes start geeking out on all kinds of historical and musical information, and I get lost in it. Today, I will not do that. The bridal march is indeed played because of the wedding of Dawn and Paula. Congratulations to you both - and thank you for letting me be a part of it!

October 7 - Where It's At

There is a little bit of a stretch from yesterday's song Portishead to today's Beck song, but they both have a very loose quality to them, which really is what I was looking for stretching all the way back to US3 from Tuesday. Where It's At is the highlight of Beck's fifth album, Odelay, released in 1996. Beck Hansen sang himself straight to my heart with Loser from 1994's Mellow Gold, a song with stream-of-consciousness lyrics that made little to no sense, but all in all sounded really cool. I didn't explore Odelay until later, following Beck's return to my consciousness with his 1999 album Midnight Vultures - but when I heard Where It's At, I immediately loved it. The looseness of the Fender Rhodes electric piano riff sets the tone for an exercise in being laid back. This is cool. This is COOL!

October 6 - Glory Box

I can't talk about British music from the 90s without mentioning Portishead again, and today I will play the song that first opened my ears to them: Glory Box. It samples Ike's Rap II by Isaak Hayes, but what really stands out to me here is Beth Gibbon's vocals, hauntingly beautiful as always, and Adrian Utley's dissonant guitar, cutting through the beauty and creating a "dangerous" contrast. No more words are needed. Just enjoy.

October 5 - Teardrop

Since we did go to England yesterday when we found US3, I thought maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to play another British band, this time one that has been linked to trip hop, which is a slightly more "out there" version of more traditional hip hop. Atmospherics are important - the use of electronica and ambience over pretty distinct rhythms really opened for a lot of experimentation. One of the main trip hop bands was Massive Attack, and while their debut album, Blue Lines from 1991 is widely recognized as their best, I came aboard with their 1998 album Mezzanine. The song Teardrop should sound familiar to most of you, as it was used as the intro music to the great tv show House MD, starring the great Hugh Laurie.

October 4 - Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)

So the year was 1993, and while music in the United States was really driven by the grungy Seattle sound, the Brits were going in different directions. I believe US3 was one of the first acid jazz bands to gain a broad audience - although when I look at their Wikipedia page today, I see them referred to as jazz-rap. While bands like The Brand New Heavies and artists like Jamiroquai also were at the forefront of this movement, nothing quite caught my attention like US3 and their album Hand On The Torch - but even more so, the song Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia). US3 took a Herbie Hancock riff (from Cantaloupe Island) and built a new song around it - and what a song it is. This one gets me in a good mood every time...

October 3 - October

It's time to change the pace a little today. It's October, which also happened to be the title of U2s second album, an album rarely mentioned among their best - although I think it is stronger than its reputation. Today's song is an exercise in melancholy, and it feels very right for today.

October 2 - Giftland

Today is another important day - it is the birthday of my farfar (father's father), Trygve Skogseth. He was born in 1912 and lived to be 78, almost 79 years old. He is a man to truly be proud of. He never talked much about World War II, but I always suspected that he was part of the underground resistance undermining the German occupation of Norway, knowing that he after the war had been a representative on the city council of Trondheim as a member of the communist party. When I finally started talking to my farmor (father's mother) about this, she told me that he had been distributing underground newspapers, but that they had burned them when they thought the Germans were getting a little too close. It would have been quite the risk, especially with two young children at home, but it was one they were willing to take under dire circumstances.

My farfar was a gruff and bigger man who sounded meaner than he was. I think that is a curse that has been passed down through generations, as I know both my father and I have inherited the very same trait. But he had a big heart. Not only was this clear when it came to his family, but also when it came to the people he worked with. In the postwar years, farfar started working on the developments of an apartment building for the people working on the streetcars in Trondheim. The building was strategically placed next to the "streetcar stable" at one of the terminal stations for the streetcars at Elgeseter. The building became reality and provided affordable housing for the streetcar employees and their families, including my grandparents and their three boys. It is one of many reasons to be proud of my grandfather - and if this is his legacy, it is indeed one that still stands.

Before I get to the song of the day, I do want to take a brief detour to mention one that wasn't featured on his birthday, but since he is celebrating it today, I think it is well worth mentioning him a couple of days late. 10 years ago, I was able to travel to Trondheim with Emma, who then was 6 years old, to be a part of my sister Elin's wedding to Will Capell. I had met him before, on an earlier visit home, but this was the first time I had a chance to really spend a little time with him, and I really started realizing that Elin had found a keeper. When I went back home again two years ago, the time spent with them was far more relaxed, as there was no stress of an impending wedding, just family time, and I was gradually getting to know him better. I am so happy he is in the family - and I wish we lived closer so we could spend some more time with one another. He turned 42 on Wednesday, and I really want to wish him a belated happy birthday as well.

Will was not yet in the family and farfar had passed away when I, in 1993, on farfar's birthday, got to see Motorpsycho for the very first time. It was an experience that changed me musically forever, as I got a chance to witness how they first got the audience in the palm of their hand only to open up the hand with not just one but two excursions into controlled noise experiments on both Mountain and Demon Box. I completely ate it up - and really started to appreciate the use of noise and dissonance in music. They also played a new song that hadn't been released yet (actually two - but I prefer this song to The Golden Core) - and Giftland became one of my favorite songs from Timothy's Monster.

October 1 - Tree Of Love/Ballad Of A Broken Heart

So today is a rather special day. On this date in 1948, my grandmother and grandfather had their fifth child. After three girls and a break with one boy, they welcomed their fourth daughter to this world and named her Guri. She would eventually move in to the "big city" - to Trondheim, which is big really only by Norwegian standards. She moved with her younger sister and best friend Bjørg (or maybe Bjørg followed suit and moved a little later - my knowledge here is a little murky) and started working as a long-distance operator at the telegraph, which was the Norwegian phone company at the time. So she was indeed gainfully employed when she met a tall and skinny guy whom she later would marry (we already covered that part).

Anyway, she got pregnant, they got married, and then they got stuck with me. And I know I can say that, because I certainly did not get stuck with them. I can honestly say that if I could choose parents myself, I couldn't have chosen any better. It is the luck of the draw indeed - and man, was I lucky.

When I was born, my dad had a job that paid sufficiently for my mom to quit working and become a full-time mom. Having her home was always a good thing. It meant being read to, having meals made, and generally feeling safe and secure. We also lived in what I believe should be labeled the best place ever to grow up. We lived in what could be considered a townhouse, and the entire development was filled with families mostly in the same stage of life, which meant that they had lots of kids my age. It was also developed with great green areas where we could play soccer and run around all summer long - and it had a great hill for skiing in the winters. We could ride our bikes around safely - motorized traffic was restricted in most of the area - and we had a local grocery store, post office, and bank within a 10 minute walk. Looking back at it, I still smile - even though the houses were closer to one another than I remember them the last time I visited and walked around. Maybe they shrunk.

And in all of this I always had my mom. I was lucky indeed. My mom is also part of the reason I started playing guitar. She had a guitar because she had learned to play a little. I am not sure if that was because her dad played or because my uncle, her only brother who was only about a year older than her, was a guitarist in a rock band (I am still in awe of his playing abilities - he quickly became a guitar hero to me). I eventually appropriated the guitar and taught myself how to play with the help of Lillebjørn Nilsen's Guitar Book (I think that also was covered before).

For more than 44 years now, my mom has been a constant support. We have fought. Rather intensely at times. I think we had periods where we gladly literally would have bitten each others' heads off, but luckily it only happened figuratively. But through it all, I never doubted that she loved me. Not once. Even though we don't say that much in Norwegian - the word elske, which means love, is traditionally limited to romantic love and doesn't always translate easily to the broader reach it has in English. I know that appears to be changing in Norway now as well - but the thing is, I never needed to hear it to know it.  She has been there for me in my darkest moments - and on the brightest days. I can't expect any more - heck, I shouldn't even expect that.

My mom has taught me what it means to truly love unconditionally. I don't know that I am as good at it as she is, but I know who I am trying to model that part of my emotions after. And so she is 68 years old today (I am sorry for giving it away, mom - but anyone with minimal math knowledge knew that from the very first paragraph). As always, I wish I could be there to celebrate, but that is more difficult. When people ask me if I miss Norway, I always answer that I don't miss the country, but I miss the people (and the chocolate, don't forget the chocolate). But most of all I miss my family. And my family starts with my mom.

So to celebrate, I found a double header. I just happen to know that this first song is one of my mom's favorite songs (and I think she really likes the second one too). The Norwegian band Difference is Norway's best kept secret from the 60s. Their melodies and arrangements - including the vocal arrangements - are among the best I have ever heard from this era. Yes, I would argue that both of the songs included here are reaching the levels only The Beatles reached at that time. These versions are both the original ones - Tree of Love is from 1967 and Ballad of a Broken Heart is from 1968.They were rerecorded in the 70s (1974?), but the original versions are what were on singles in my mom's collection - and they are so incredibly good. Happy birthday, mom!