Arctic Northern Lights to Oslo to Germany

November 8, 2010 4:30 am
Robert Tooms

The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights

(Memphis, Tennessee) This week another installment from our recent trip to beautiful Norway. Fortunately for the Reba Russell Band, the keen-eyed Wayne Russell spied this visual phenomenon after dinner as we were headed back to our rooms. There was much excited laughter and falling in the snow (mostly me) as our childlike wonder was evoked by this beautiful spectacle. As Reba said, “that alone would make the whole trip worthwhile.”

Wayne and Reba Russell

Josh Roberts

We ended our week with a magnificent dinner of salad, beautiful fresh trout and dill, herring in mustard, in wine sauce or straight up, longostinos, crayfish, dungeness crab claws, hot mackerel or mackerel in tomater, mutton sausage, smoked cured meats, mashed potatoes, rare roast beef, champignons, a huge ham on a slicing block, fresh breads with ecologically proper butter, grouse, fish, vegetables, apple pie, ice cream, chocolate mousse, blackberries in cream, coffee and tea.

This is our host, my sweet friend, Judy Pedersen. She and her husband Ken were great friends to us and she looked out for us and anticipated our every need. She was the perfect mother to a group of hillbillies like us and we all got a bit teary-eyed when we had to leave her and Ken at our return bus trip to the airport. They became very close to us and will always remain in our hearts. We hope they come to Memphis to visit us soon.

My friend, Bill Troiani, bassist, songwriter, of the Billy T. Band and accompanist to many more.

Sveinung Lervag, author

we had a great time in Svalbard and a good airplane ride to Oslo

Drummer Kenny Soule and Andy Huenerberg hang out with the Reba Russell Band in the green room

These guys are superb, accomplished musicians and friends

fighting it out with this guy who broke in line at the buffet

“unhand my langostinos!”

(photo by my pal, Marete Eide of Norway Blues News)

Jam at the bar at the Polar Hotel

Dave Fields, Reba Russell, Wayne Russell, Josh Roberts, Victor Wainwright. I would have joined them but it was mandatory plaid shirt night and I did not have one.

Mal Barclay from the Cadillac Kings on guitar with

Rita Engedalen & Margit Bakken

Rita Engedalen & Margit Bakken, Andrew Huenerberg on bass, Victor Wainwright on piano

These ladies and Victor Wainwright swapped verses on the old classic, “Trouble in Mind.” It was most a soulful and moving performance and the high quality of all the musicians at this festival was staggering.

Dave Fields

Monday we packed our belongings and headed to the Svalbard airport to begin the journey to Tromsø and then southward to Oslo. After arriving at Tromsø, we got off the plane, picked up our bags and then checked them again and went through the security checkpoint there, despite the fact that we had just done so in Svalbard a couple of hours before. Sounds like politics to me, but it went smoothly and soon we boarded the same plane again and headed for Oslo. We were met in Oslo by our friend, Jt Lauritsen who provided us with a big shuttle bus and a trailer to carry our band and our friends, the Cadillac Kings from the UK to the Specter Hotel in Oslo.

Svalbard

Signpost to the world at the Svalbard airport

A mountaintop at sunset, Tromsø airport

On the ground in Tromsø

This was our last stop before hitting the ground in Oslo. After checking in the hotel we headed out to see our friend, Bill Troiani, who was playing at a nearby club.

Bill Troiani, the Billy T. Band

Bill, originally from Queens borough in New York, has moved to Norway and become a well known mainstay in the musical community, singing and wielding his well-worn Fender bass with the familiarity of a seasoned professional. Bill, whose inventiveness reminds me a bit of Jack Meyers(Otis Rush’s bassist) mentioned to me that he listens to a lot of Ray Brown.We wandered down a few blocks from the Hotel Spector to Fyret mat & Drikke where he presides over his weekly Monday night gig. The place is tiny and was so full of fans when we got there that they didn’t have room to seat 6 more. Not ones to be dissuaded, Doug McMinn and I took seats at a table with some other patrons as our comrades went downstairs to the restuarant to dine. The elkburger is delicious.

Watching his hands move on the bass seems almost effortless. Look for reviews of his CD here at American Blues News.

William Troiani: Bass/Vocals

Ian Fredrick Johannessen: Guitars/Vocals

Haakon Hoeye: Guitars/Vocals

Alexander Pettersen: Drums/Perc

http://www.myspace.com/billtroiani#ixzz13Z6Yvzb6

This place is famous for its many varieties of aquavit (akevitt) and they display a bottle in a glass case that dates back a couple of centuries. Bill’s band truly exceeded my expectations, his guitarist laying down jazzy solos and sweet chords from a fat old Harmony guitar. Doug was amazed at his drummer’s mastery of some cool old Meters New Orleans rhythms and these guys were playing through a small PA at a perfect volume.

I really like Bill. We became friends in Svalbard, and hearing his band in Oslo was a joy. They were not using their regular second guitarist and I am looking forward to hearing the entire ensemble on his CD.

Next we head to the dock to gt on the big Norwegian Blues cruise ship, the Color Line Fantasy, which is full of blues lovers, blues musicinas, and fortunately for me, a great deal of very good caviar. It was a swell time packed full of great gigs and memorable sights. This cruise is a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience blues, beautiful scenery and have some great food and good times.

Boarding the Color Line cruise ship in Oslo

Josh Roberts, Doug McMinn with Laila Moe, Mari Tronbøl, our hosts on the blues cruise

Mal Barclay of the Cadillac Kings

Mal’s cool custom Harmony guitar…this thing just rips.

Paul Cuff of the Cadillac Kings

These guys lay down a perfect backbeat, whipping out Loius Jordan, old Rock & Roll, lowdown Blues (with my buddy Gary Potts chugging on the harp like a locomotive). Paul Cuff is great bassist who humbly gives credit to drummer, Roy, saying, “well it’s all easy with Roy on the drums.” Indeed, Roy is remarkable and the interplay between Mal’s guitar, Roy’s no nonsense 2′s and 4′s, and Paul straddling the two like he’s riding a stallion, filling in bass notes tastefully and with tremendous effect. These guys make people dance and it’s not by accident. They display superior musicianship and a friendly esprit de corps that breeds good playing…they all respect one another and nobody steps on the other guys’ parts. This makes for great times and splendid listening.

Mike Thomas, leader, vocalist, slide guitarist and a great guy to hang out with…he is a front man who has gleaned all the fine points of keeping an interested audience and he is genuinely entertaining, plays good slide and sings beautifully.

Roy Webber, the heart of the rhythm section

Cadillac Kings in the Fantasy Ballroom

Gary, Mal and Mike

Roy Webber

Gary Potts

sunset at sea

Danielle Schnebelen of Trampled Under Foot shot backstage right after the show on the color line cruise. She has a great bluesy voice and a cool band.

Laila Moe, our sweet host and friend

Gøran Bluesmunken Stensrud

my friend, Blues protagonist deluxe

We had a great time at his club in Lillestrom, Skedsmo Bluesklubb, and I truly enjoyed his company on our journey. This man knows and loves music with a passion and he supports the music he loves with ferocity.

Aigars Lapsa, photographer extraordinaire, master of shadow and light

dining room

top level of the ballroom

Fantasy ballroom

Victor Wainwright on stage

The ship seems to just barely clear this huge suspension bridge

heading back to Norway from Kiel, Germany

After arriving back on the shores of Norway we headed to our first gig of the day at Buckly’s, a very cool pub where we hung out, ate Chinese food, then played a gig and drove over to Skedsmo Bluesklubb for our last gig of the tour. It was a long and fun-filled day that we will not soon forget.

Poster inside Buckley’s, a cool blues club in Oslo