The Nordic Sound

Send us a text

Björn Kaidel (Akleja, Plønk) joins Nordic Sound #55 to talk about how the Scandinavian folk revival of recent decades is leading to renewed interest among German musicians to reclaim a folk music tradition of their own. Diving deeper, Björn and Jameson discuss the importance of medieval folk/rock bands such as In Extremo and Faun in keeping some semblance of folk music alive in Germany, how the folk revival is using a...

Send us a text

Please join me in welcoming the inimitable Mia Guldhammer to Nordic Sound #54. Performing with acts such as Virelai, Mallebrok, and now Guldganger, Mia has long made a name for herself as a passionate keeper and performer of the Scandinavian ballad tradition at Medieval markets and reenactments, as well as a celebrated vocalist in the Danish folk music scene. Mia takes us through her experience in both, diving deep in...

Send us a text

Most known through her bands Diket and Ævestaden, Levina Storåkern joins Nordic Sound #53 to talk about her recently released solo endeavor “Månadsvill”. Captivated on the first listen, Jameson sits down with this rising star to talk about her songwriting process and the inspirations that went into the record, as well as learning more about her journey as a folk musician. Along the way, we also get into a pretty inter...

Send us a text

Painting vivid impressionistic landscapes through their ancient instruments, Nordic folk titans Maija Kauhanen and Johannes Geworkian Hellman join forces on their debut album Migrating. Each of these musicians are heavy hitters, or even icons, if I could be so bold  on their respective instruments, Maija on kantele and Johannes on hurdy-gurdy, so I have been fairly curious in the lead up to this record to see how thes...

Send us a text

Faber Horbach of Sowulo joins the Nordic Sound for episode 52 to talk about Sowulo’s origins, the recent tour, and walk us through the band’s development from Alvenrad to Wurdiz. We also get into a pretty good discussion about artistic integrity when bridging music, mythology, and history. Thanks for hanging out, Faber!

0:00 Intro
1:08 Europoean Tour, Echoes and Mervailles, Opening for Heilung
12:52 E...

Send us a text

Rooted in ancient Finnish lore, Noiduin emerges with their first full-length album Lovi, an homage to an otherworldly state or space, a rift between worlds, and a place of crossing where the veil between the living and the dead thins. With a sound palette dominated by tagelharpa, percussion, kantele, and raw ethereal voices, Lovi brings songs both new and revisited to their already impressive repertoire.

Support the sh...

Send us a text

Anders Norudde is one of the minds behind the legendary Hedningarna - a band whose influence is still felt throughout the world of Nordic folk music today. With their reputation for bringing a more raw, primal, and percussive energy to traditional folk music, Hedningarna was one of a handful of bands out of Sweden in the 90s who pushed the boundaries of what folk music can be.

With Hedningarna's lasting ...

Send us a text

As you all know, MÍO's debut record Ingen Tid å Miste earned the top spot on my 2023 Nordic Sound Top 10 list. All these years later, I still stand by what I’ve said before: not only does MÍO weave a musical experience like no other, but their electrifying live performances put them in a league of their own. 

But Ingen Tid å Miste had the benefit of being without precedent. The sophomore album, on the ot...

Send us a text

Ingrid returns to the Nordic Sound for the 50th episode to talk about her recent performance project "Echoes" with Maria Franz and her solo project "Piina" - a multi-movement work seeking to explore the theme of pain through music. With no responsible adult in the room to keep us on track, we meander quite a bit through conversations about the effects of social media on live performance, the way pa...

Send us a text

The Black Metal perspective makes a long overdue debut to the Nordic Sound in episode 49 with the inimitable Thomas Eriksen (Mork, Udåd). Not only has Thomas made quite the name for himself as the mind behind Mork, but kept himself and others entertained during COVID running his own Black Metal podcast, the "Thomas Eriksen Podcast" which featured some in depth conversations with big names in Norwegian Black ...

Send us a text

Over the course of his career, Olav Mjelva has become something of a face of the Hardanger Fiddle, with his fiddle being heard in settings such as Rings of Power, God of War: Ragnarök, and Marvel’s Loki. As well as being featured in over 60 studio projects, he is also well known in the Scandifolk scene for his work with Sver, the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, Rydvall/Mjelva, and the Lodestar Trio. After collaborating with Ein...

Send us a text

Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, Frigg have long established themselves as one of the leading string bands in Nordic folk. A small army of six musicians, what has always astounded me about the band is how effectively they use their numbers to their fullest capabilities, often times in their recordings sounding like there’s a full orchestra at their disposal. Their attention to orchestration and texture is...

Send us a text

A beautiful homecoming!

Ale joins the channel once again from balmy California where Dreamers' Circus begin their 2025 U.S. tour to celebrate the release of their new album Handed On.

In this conversation, Ale talks about the importance of music in bridging divides between cultures in tumultuous times, the Handed On project, and of course, that every present question of Nordic Folk music.
...

Send us a text

This year, I made it a New Years' resolution for the channel that we'd finally start an honest effort in expanding the Nordic Sound into new and more diverse genres, and what better way to bring classical music back into the picture than by chatting with one of my favorite music writers. 

Join me in welcoming Ola Nordal (Ballade Klassisk, Store Norske Leksikon) to talk about Norway's contempora...

Send us a text

Nordicsoundarchive.com

Fredrik returns to the Nordic Sound for his second appearance to talk about Torulf's recent record Ristningar i Ginnungagap and the stories that inspire his music. Along the way, we also talk about his earliest memories as a musician, how he became Torulf, and why it's difficult to keep up with new music.

Thanks for hanging out, Fredrik!

Support the show

The Nordic Soun...

Send us a text

Jameson and Jouhikko virtuoso Lassi Logrén celebrate Finnish independence day by talking about the Jouhikko/Tagelharpa tradition, Finnish folk music, and the Tagelharpa renaissance we’re experiencing outside of traditional folk circles. We also talk about Lassi’s new solo album “Jouhikko”, why Lassi believes the instrument itself sounds human, and what we might gain from learning how to connect with solo instrumental ...

Send us a text

Finnish/Swedish(/Cornish?) duo Ville & Tommie join me in Nordic Sound #43 to talk about their uniquely freeform approach to performing Nordic folk music as an accordion and fiddle duo and their debut album "Stuffed Pockets". Along the way, we talk about how the duo came to be, where they come from as individual musicians, and that tricky line across tradition and innovation we always have to dance as fol...

Send us a text

In part 2 of Nordic Sound #42, Jameson and Fredrik poke and prod at the thorny question of what folk music is, what makes something folk music, and what folk music means in a Nordic context with Fredrik contributing what he learned while writing and directing the documentary "Trollstemt".

I've found these conversations are almost always had behind closed doors in hushed tones, but I think there...

Send us a text

Join me as I dive deep into the history of Norway's folk music tradition with Fredrik Akselsen, acclaimed director of the series "Trollstemt" - a documentary I had been keeping tabs on since Mattias Thedens of Gangar first promoted it last year. It's funny to think I hadn't the slightest idea that I'd end up having the director on the Nordic Sound for a chat, and for that, we all owe a he...