ReMu in Norway 2009

Braund and The List get some press!

2010-02-27T10:31:00.000-08:00

The List is releasing their new 12" vinyl tonight in Stavanger, which includes the track that I produced for them. Very cool! They got a nice writeup in the Stavanger newspaper. Check it out!

LINKS TO THE ROGALAND AVIS STORY ON THE RELEASE:
In Norwegian

Translated to English

Video

2010-02-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

CoCo and Jay-Z Tonight on CBS!

2010-02-07T09:38:00.001-08:00

Our department's CoCo (aka Erik Braund) will be appearing on CBS tonight, drumming for some guy name Jay-Z (who's rumored to be a popular rap star, but I'm not sure. I need to google first).

Anyways, Erik will be appearing with Jay-Z right before the kickoffs of the Superbowl, so I'm guessing sometime before 5-6 pm? Probably closer to 6 pm though.

You should all stay tune and watch what happens tonight. "CoCo" needs more fans cause you know...very few people watch the Superbowl. Football is America's least favorite sport after all. Seriously, who cares for the Colts or the Saints? Like ten people? Pfft! (btw, Saints all the way!)

But as loyal compadres, we'll still support Erik on his second TV debut so that he is not alone.

UPDATE: just been informed...the country rock star of our department Bennett Jackson is also playing the same gig, but on bass. Bass!?

Home

2010-01-31T21:50:00.000-08:00

This is one of the songs that Elise and I wrote last weekend when she first came in. I love all the songs on the album, but this one is super endearing. We're both very proud of it. It's one of the songs that's going on the album.

Ahead of schedule

2010-01-31T21:02:00.000-08:00

Good news! We're totally ahead of schedule. We knocked out "The Place Where All Lost Things Go" yesterday. The whole song's basically done.

Today, we tracked drums and bass, and we got all the songs done in about 6.5 hours, 9.5 hours if you include multiple breaks and setup. On the drums, we had the Mighty Mason Ingram, who has always been incredibly consistent and versatile. I've had him on many sessions, and he's always delivered. Mason recently got himself an amazing sounding Ludwig Black Beauty, and I was very happy he brought it to the session.

On the bass, we had Ben Mars, who was born to play bass. His fingers are literally 1 1/2" longer than mine. In addition to having mad chops, he also happens to have THE BASS RIG. This morning, he brought in a 1963 Ampeg B-15 and a vintage p-bass also from the 60s. I did a mental jawdrop in my head when I saw it. It's basically the combo that all the Motown bass players use, and boy it did it sound good.

Anyways, I'm very proud of the work the guys did today. I'll be tracking Elise and Christer for the rest of the week. Stay tuned for more blog posts about the studio.

It has begun!

2010-01-30T07:15:00.000-08:00

We've started recording, and I've found the holy trinity of acoustic guitar micing.

Feeling pretty good.

Nils - The Troll

2010-01-27T10:52:00.000-08:00

In Norway, the trolls are apparently really cute and wear stylish Norwegian sweaters. Well...at least the one I got from Elise. His name is Nils, and he's now sitting on my desk looking very smug.

1st Rehearsal

2010-01-25T21:27:00.000-08:00

Rehearsal was freakin' awesome tonight. It's gonna get even better tomorrow. You'll see videos tomorrow on Elise's blog.

Also, Elise's on front page Norwegian paper today! Woo!

Check it out!

This album's gonna be great. The songs are so fun and upbeat. Perfect for the summer.

Egg-cellent

2010-01-24T07:21:00.001-08:00

After two days of intense songwriting, we now have many songs available to us. Due to time constraints, it's only possible to record about 6-7 songs. Still, we'll try to do as much as we possibly can. The tracklist thus far:

1. New York City

2. My Muse

3. Getaway

4. Diamond Ring

5. Baby Blue*

6. Home

7. The Place Where All Lost Things Go**

8. Up & Down***

9. If I Could Love You

* - Already recorded. We're just gonna add more stuff to it.

** - Still deciding

***- Acoustic based song, the inclusion of this song is TBD

Elise is in da House/New York!

2010-01-23T07:04:00.000-08:00

Elise, along with her guitarist, Christer Dalboe, came in on Thursday night, and we've been songwriting pretty much nonstop except for meal times. We were very productive yesterday. We now have one new song squared away, and another's one coming along. In addition, we fixed the arrangement to three previously written songs. On our down time, I've been vocal training the duo, and we had a surprisingly fun time playing musical memory exercises. 2 more days to go until it's time to rehearse with the band. We're gonna spend some time in Manhattan today, and then we're going back to Brooklyn to work on more songs.

I will keep you guys updated through this blog until Elise and Christer heads back to Norway.

Elise Vatsvaag - From Norway to New York

2009-12-28T14:16:00.000-08:00

Elise Vatsvaag Announces Recording Trip to New York

On dreary days when everything seems blasé, Elise Vatsvåg’s marshmallow-sweet voice and endearing lyrics are a pick-me-up. The small-framed Norwegian singer-songwriter has been compared to Ingrid Michaelson and Feist for her sunny style and songwriting prowess, but her unique charm is the result of her innocent outlook on life and youthful zest. Her music is a blend of cozy acoustic-pop with hints of jazz and showtunes. On January 2010, Elise will travel to New York City to record her first official EP release under the direction of producer Ling Wang. Her travel stories, videos, and documentation of the recording process will be released on her blog (http://elisevatsvaag.tumblr.com/).

To listen to her music, visit her Myspace Page.

http://www.myspace.com/elisevatsvaag

URGENT UPDATE!!!!!!!!! (From ERIK)

2009-12-23T03:10:00.000-08:00

HI.
Erik Braund here... to tell you about a very important development with regard to getting in touch with my Norwegian roots.

I just arrived in Alaska to celebrate Christmas. On my way to Alaska, I spent the weekend in Montana visiting my brother Dylan, his beautiful wife Sarah, their two year old son Finn, and my mother, Susan, who might just be the best mother in the world. Why?

SHE GOT ME A NORWEGIAN WAFFLE MAKER FOR CHRISTMAS..... and found a Norwegian waffle recipe for me. As you can see, we made waffles. And we ate them.

I thought you all should know that.

Carry on. Snakkes.

Erik Braund / erikbraund@gmail.com

Waffle Maker!!!!

Making Waffles!!!!

Golden Glory!!!!

Finn gets in touch with his Norwegian side..!!!!

ALL GONE!!!!

DELICIOUS !!!!

I regret to say I was not wearing my Norwegian Sweater for this glorious day. I am sorry!

This Concludes Our Broadcast Day

2009-11-24T21:23:00.000-08:00

We're closing it down people...Many thanks to STEIN BJELLAND and ASHLEY STUBBERT for doing all they do, and for taking such good care of team REMU. Stavanger is lucky to have both of you !!!

Until the next Nordic REMU adventure we bid everyone in Stavanger a fond farewell, and ready the next batch of students for Nordic Music Week 2010.

Be sure to listen to all the fine productions on the post just below this one.

Snakkes !!!

Song Roundup

2009-11-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

Below are the three tracks Erik, Shane, and Ling produced in Norway.

"Untitled Track" - The List / produced by Erik Braund
"Baby Blue" - Elise Vatsvaag / produced by Ling Wang
"Palisty" - Godal / produced by Shane O'Connell

The Making of a Masterpiece...

2009-11-19T19:52:00.000-08:00

These things don't just make themselves...behind the scenes of the Jim Anderson homage.

These Are The Guys That Made it All Possible...Really.

2009-11-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

Take one transplanted American, one metal mad Norwegian, a bottle of Lervig and all things become possible. Snakkes MF ! Ashley and Stein.

Damn, The Swedes Will Put Anbody In A Movie !!

2009-11-19T19:36:00.000-08:00

Sansano being filmed for a Swedish rockumentary on how technology and new media is changing how all forms of art are made. Filming abruptly stopped when Sansano said, "I don't make art, I make records".

We have no idea who this is, but Braund is compelled to shoot anything that moves. O'Connell is famously unaffected.

Made it to NYC. SNAKKES SNAKKES!!!!

2009-11-16T15:08:00.000-08:00

Erik here..
The title of this post was going to be "Made It Home" until I realized that on Sunday at 6am, all I really did was leave home (you know, Norway, my motherland). I somehow never made it to bed Saturday night - oh wait, I was out all night seeing bands, enjoying the last of incredibly overpriced Norwegian beer, and eating a delicious meal prepared by Inger, Daniel Engen's (The List's bassist) ladyfriend. The musical highlight of the night was definitely "Heroes & Zeroes" - a band with a gigantic sound. I bought their CD and have been digging it.

Many thanks to Ashley and Stein and everyone from Nordic Music Week. I think I will be back in Stavanger before I know it. Thanks also to Nick Sansano for all his work to orchestrate the trip.

I am compiling a video of the trip.. will be up soon. For now, some more pictures...

LUSEKOFTE GANG. We'll mess you up.

Tou Scene, the sight of the Nordic Music Week conferences.

Roundtable discussion on the future of Recording Studios.

I highly doubt any Norwegian could fit in this car. Clown car?

Part of the Sansano Fall 2009 Men's collection.

Part of the upcoming Sansano Winter 2009 collection.

Closing Remarks at Tou Scene

Back in NYC.

-Braund

The Wire UK...Sansano with editor Anne Hilde Neset

2009-11-15T15:07:00.000-08:00

Originally from Stavanger, Anne Hilde Neset is the editor of The Wire magazine...of which Sansano is a fan. Despite the discovery of having friends in common and deployment of all his charms, the meeting didn't net the free subscription he so desperately sought.

Guess which guy doesn't have social health care

2009-11-14T15:48:00.001-08:00

Talking it out with the Scandinavians...

-Nick

It All About The Sweaters...

2009-11-14T15:47:00.000-08:00

"Step Off...I'm wearing wool!" Norwegian gang-wear...Javel !?

Breakfast In Norway...little known Supertramp B Side

2009-11-14T15:35:00.000-08:00

Sansano was graciously invited to the beautiful home of Sjur Paulsen of Filmkraft, one of Norway's leading film producers. Wonderful time, lots of bacon, cheese and butter...hard to find fault with the man's approach to breakfast. A most generous and kind person...

In the photo above Sansano, Sjur's great uncle, and Sjur. Sansano mystified at strange Norwegian custom of meeting the family after breakfast. Snakkes, great uncle Borre.

-Nick

Dwarf, Troll, or Gnome?

2009-11-14T15:31:00.001-08:00

Norwegian Producer Gets Serious

2009-11-14T14:58:00.000-08:00

Norwegian producer, Ashley Stubbert, earns street (or beer) cred. with this promo shot.

Jim, watch out.

Meta Post

2009-11-14T09:16:00.001-08:00

Ling and Erik have been going a little overboard with the blogging. They must have thousands of pictures of just the meals we've had alone. Time for an intervention?

Update

2009-11-14T01:20:00.000-08:00

I've uncovered the latest promo portrait of Jim. This one is clearly digital, whereas his last was more likely analog, thus making our recreations a little more true-to-life compared to his new photo.

Will the real Jim Anderson please stand up?

2009-11-13T17:49:00.000-08:00

Below is a friendly Norwegian tribute/salute to Jim Anderson. Enjoy.
Jim - You're welcome / I'm sorry.
-Braund

The one and only, Jim Anderson

Braund

Shane

Ling

Sansano

Ashley

Kjell

Pere, the J.A. of Norway

Sansano's Drum Micing and Compression lecture at NRK

2009-11-13T17:15:00.000-08:00

Yo Yo Yo Yo Ya'Vel wiki wiki! (sorry, inside joke). and on and on and on on on SNAKKES!

Nick came well stocked with "Traditional Sansano" button-ups, a nice example of which can be seen in the fashion show recording clinic photos below. He had a very funky trio in the studio at NRK, Norway's state-owned national broadcasting company to demonstrate the Wafflemeister's drum micing techniques. Interesting to note that Norway seems to be slightly weary of compression. Give it some time, Norway, you'll come around.

Below are a bunch of pictures I took at the lecture.

-Braund

Come on, in America we hug.

Nick explains how integral his DJ'ing and turntables are to his career.

Part of the class. Bekke on the right!

"Are you sure you want to compress that much?" "Yes, I havent even added any compression yet."

Cutting it up old school

Showing off the Fall 2009 Men's collection of Sansano ltd.

Panorama of the control room

Panorama of the live room

ADSR I am guessing. Or the Norwegian mountainscape.

The Motley Crue

Just another Friday in Stavanger...

2009-11-13T16:56:00.000-08:00

Erik here, bringing you some pictures of my Friday in Stavanger. First - I'll have to say Thursday was quite a day. We spent it at Tou Scene listening to tech (nerd) lectures and business lectures. All were very well done, and came with seemingly endless coupons for free beer. Three cheers for Norway...I mean, three Skoles for Norway! I saw some really great bands thursday night, including The List (www.thelist.no) who I had the pleasure to work with. Their set was very good.... inspiring. I look forward to working with them again. SO! Pictures!

Sweater Heaven...

Waffle Heaven

Ling and her burnt waffle

Shane, you're so dreamy.

I'm beginning to realize just how Scandinavian I am by being here. I mean, seriously.

Waffle stuff

Look inside this restaurant. Look closely. It's EMPTY... yet they said if we didn't have a reservation, we'd have to hit the road. Hit the road we did, to encounter the EXACT SAME SCENARIO at another joint. Oh well, Nick and I ordered Beet Burgers at a vegan joint that were surprisingly decent.

megaphonic thrift... This band blew my fucking mind.

Back from the dead: Shane

2009-11-13T13:52:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. After arriving in Stavanger I became more and more swine flu-ish as the days progressed. I finally reached my illness plateau yesterday spending 24 hours in bed.

Now that I am able to stand and be amongst the living again, I can properly recap my three days of recording Godal.

Who's gonna play bass now?

This is Dan the bass player.

On Monday morning I got a call from Matias the guitarist letting me know that Dan wouldn't be recording with us because he was quarantined for having the swine flu. Luckily for Dan he now has lot's of extra time to work on his song contribution to Joe Valle's Christmas album (sorry for the inside joke people).

Matias played the bass instead.

We were given three days at dreamlab studios in this converted warehouse complex called Tou Scene. Tou Scene is the most Williamsburg-ish part of Stavanger - full of hipster cafes, venues, and recording studios. I felt at home.

dreamlab only runs Logic which was bad news for me because I don't know that program at all.

Lucky for me Inge "Co-Pilot" Engelsvold, co-owner of dreamlab and keyboardist extraordinaire had my back.

This is Inge's band Dreampilots. He's on the upper right. It's out in the US now. Buy it.

Here are some random pictures of the recording session.

Matias + one of Inge's cool ass guitars.

Åse being stern.

Tom loungin'.

Matias a bit confused as to how headphones work.

!

What did you do to the overheads...?

Wednesday was the mixing day. Matias and I had been talking for a number of days about the overall sound they wanted out of the mix. He said that he wasn't happy with some of their past recordings because they were too produced and clean sounding. We decided that we would go for a super dirty sound, but try to avoid 4-track cassette recorder territory.

The sound we got was super dirty and super huge - exactly what we were looking for. However, I am looking forward to mixing it again at school where I know the board, room, monitors and DAW.

Check out the song here

Working with Godal was great. I feel very lucky to have been paired with them. We got along famously, and we shared a lot of the same musical tastes. Can't ask for more.

Come back to Brooklyn soon Godal.

Spotted in Norway: It's Maggie

2009-11-13T00:06:00.001-08:00

Spotted and confirmed. This is indeed Maggie from 510 B. For those of you who are too young to know, Maggie used to work as a PA at REMU about three years ago. Nick found her studying at the University of Stavanger when he visited.

Best Kick Drum EVER!

2009-11-12T16:08:00.000-08:00

I fell in love with this kick drum tonight. The drummer in the picture is from Figurines, which is a super tight band from Denmark. Their set really rocked the house tonight, but what made them beyond awesome was this Pearl kit you see on top. Man, it sounded good. I don't think I've ever heard a kick sound as RAWK as the one I heard tonight. Must be something about the triple holes instead the typical one. Who would have thought.

Braund Got the Sweater

2009-11-12T15:59:00.001-08:00

Good news. Braund got the sweater. It's only on loan though until he comes back to Norway again and becomes a big producer of "dude" rock and can afford his own rainbow sweater.

Btw, Erik's recording kicked a$$! When I heard it this morning...I was like "Holy Norwegian Cow! Sounds almost like a U2 record towards the end cause it was sonically so huge (a high compliment coming from me cause U2's my favorite band). Of course MAJOR PROPS to the band, The List, for playing so well. I heard them live tonight for the first time, and in the words of Nick Sansano, they were "export ready." I enjoyed it so much, I even forgot about taking pictures with my camera.

Hey...Isn't that Maggie from 510 B ???

2009-11-12T15:59:00.000-08:00

Indeed it is...with Paul White from Sound on Sound Magazine and EriK "getting no love from the Icelandic representative" Braund.

-Sansano

Casiokids...coming soon for all you Hipsters !!!

2009-11-12T15:52:00.000-08:00

Met the manager of CASIOKIDS a Norwegian band that will take Williamsburg hipsters by storm in due time...coming out on Poly Vinyl soon....and bears a striking resemblance to the movie version of Jesus, no ? Sweet, earnest, and intelligent man on a mission....Oh and also keep your ears and eyes out for Figurines out of Denmark....hip hip hip.

Spotted in Norway: Henrik Tala?

2009-11-12T15:47:00.002-08:00

Met the Pølse Man...

2009-11-12T15:46:00.000-08:00

Not to be confused with the Hurdy Gurdy man...today I met the Pølseman outside the Great Moments office. He gave me a free Pølse in exchange for my NYC opinion on hisPølse... Good taste, well spiced, a bit soft to the bite, needs to start serving relish and cooked onions Pølse...one also have the option of eating one's Pølse on a flat bread made of potato flour...

He asked me, with a straight face, if we had "wieners" in NY. "Of course", I replied, "and most of them are in the music business."

-Sansano

Couldn't be Happier

2009-11-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

Presented Elise's "Baby Blue" song this morning to Nordic Music Week people, and now you can hear it by going to this link. https://www.yousendit.com/download/TzY2cmxRYTJENlRIRGc9PQ

(Do me a favor and don't listen to this on a Macbook speaker. The thing is made for killing music)

Unlike Erik's, it's not mixed or even properly edited yet. Will do that when I get back to NY. We spent all three days tracking because the arrangement of each part was basically written in the studio. The ideas that bounced around in the studio really made the song though. It was a good song to begin with, but now it's a great song. I could not be happier with it.

Also, every person in the session was great to work with. They really strove for excellence and didn't settle for mediocre, which made it easier for me to ask for more. Thus a great product came of it.

Thank you to Stein, Great Moments, and NMW for making this possible. Big thanks for Elise and the band for trusting in me to mess around with the song for three days (and for feeding me). Thanks to Kjell at Musiclab studio. You're da man! Then of course, thanks Nick for chaperoning us and being awesome.

I'll update with a mix in about a week. Until then...sleeeeeeeeeeep.

The song I produced for The List...

2009-11-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

Here is a link to untitled song I recorded for The List that will be included in their forthcoming Vinyl release.

Recorded, mixed, produced, norwegian-sweatered etc.. by Erik Braund at Bekk Studio.

Thanks to Stein at Great Moments for setting up the collaboration with The List, Bekk Studio, and myself (via NYU and Sansano). Great experence.

"Untitled Song" by The List. <--- Click there

-Braund

Walking in a straight line.. will I fall...

2009-11-11T19:04:00.000-08:00

Posted by Braund, way too late at night.

I am sad to say that today marks my last day working with The List... for this trip to Norway, that is. We worked very well together and I sense a continuing relationship. I dare say we had one of the most successful collaborations I've ever had. We were on the same page from the get-go. Refreshing, inspiring. A superb group of guys with a great sense of direction. A great studio run by a great guy... and a long-lost Norwegian (me).. what more could anyone ask for? Oh, WAFFLES. (Thanks Eirik).

Wafflehausenskold.

Eirik, Stein (west-side), Sansano (in a "traditional" Sansano shirt), and Ole Braundenskolde.

Tore, Runar, and Sansano. Norwegians are all business. Americans are all smiles

My iPhone does panoramas.. and Eirik has multiple personalities. Please note the enormous dog in the center that could take any one of us down. Must be Norwegian Shepherd.

Bekk Studio Control Room, where I spent the last 72 hours. Loved every second of it.

Phew!

2009-11-11T18:02:00.000-08:00

All studio dates are done. We present tomorrow to everyone involved in the studio process and the organizers of the Nordic Music Music. I bet they are checking if we were worthy investments (they certainly paid a lot for our hotel and air fees, that's for sure). :P

I have a good feeling that Erik, Shane, and I will represent well though. We all seemed pretty happy with the outcome of our sessions.

Anyways, it's late. Bed time.

-Ling

Braund Goes Native

2009-11-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

Erik "I'm Norwegian, really " Braund documenting the moment....still in shock - and occasionally starts to cry when he thinks - about the price of beer. Only waffles and brown cheese brings a smile back to his face.

University and Innovation Norway Visit

2009-11-11T13:55:00.000-08:00

Met with the business and entrepreneurial leaders at Stavanger University and investment incubator group Innovation Norway. Sansano's praying for seed money in this particular shot !!

Makeup !!!

2009-11-11T13:48:00.000-08:00

On the set of the local news broadcast....."get me a blue spot on the sports guy !!!"

Met Norway's Jim Anderson

2009-11-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

Sansano had a heavy day of meeting the academics, the engineers, and the investors....the highlight was being introduced to a gentleman at the Norway national broadcasting company, who was described as The Jim Anderson of Norway.

...with Pere, the Jim Anderson of Norway, and host Ashley, at the national broadcasting studios.

Our Host...Soccer Fashion Painful

2009-11-11T13:31:00.000-08:00

Stone celebrates Alesund's victory in Norwegian soccer cup. No need to comment about the shirt....words cannot do it justice.

Erik's Day two... Lusekofte

2009-11-10T18:18:00.000-08:00

Day two at BekkStudio: great success. Last night we got "the take" of The List's new song. I then begged them to put on Norwegian Sweaters and to let me videotape them playing the song once in such attire. They happily obliged (thanks, "dudes"). Today we recalled the tracks... and it turns out the "sweater take" was quite a bit better... "the one" in fact!!!!

I rest my case - these sweaters are GOLD I tell ya. Since "The Sweater Song" has been taken, I suggested "Lusekofte" - we'll see if it sticks.

Bekk Studio is like my dream playground - Eirik has a wonderful mic, mic pre, compressor, and eq selection... as well as alot of other great gadgets. I've been tracking everything with quite a bit of EQ and Compression into ProTools - it's fun to have the option. I thoroughly enjoyed his AEA ribbon mics. I used them on violins, acoustic guitar, and some vocals. The Shure SM7 did a great job on the vocal... and the Fet47 on Kick just killed.

Runar did a really personal and revealing job with his vocals. He has an honest voice. Can't ask for more then that. Daniel's Bass is very spot-on, perfect timing. Tore manned the upper decks with his searing guitars. Ole Reidar (Holy Diver)... well, I've never heard a Rhodes sounds like such a bad-ass electric guitar. Bength "Benny"laid down solid drums with some great extra percussion. Kine... Kine can trill a violin like no other!

The song is very dynamic and ends huge. I am mixing it tomorrow and am very excited to share the final product.

The List is:

Runar Aase - Vocals, guitars

Tore Aspmo - Guitars

Daniel Engen - Bass

Ole Reidar Gudmestad - Guitars, keys

Bengt Olav Gåsøy - Drums, percussion

Kine Rostøl Ottesen - Violin

www.thelist.no

Wafflehaus Sansano and I stopped by the Great Moments office moments after our breakfast, only to find we were just in time for lunch! We manned up and ate some brown cheese. Actually, quite good!

Breaking Bread with Sir Steinalot.

White cheese... that we're not allowed to eat. Must eat brown cheese

"Gudbrandsalsost" Sansano. Traditional Sansano Shirt Pattern.

Toast and a Milkshake. And a Viking.

Outside view of Bekk Studio

Benny's Kit. Gefell Overheads, 421's on top & bottom of toms, 57's on snare, D112 and Fet 47 on Kick. AKG Cigar mic on the room. Old Ludwig kit, sounds great.

My view (via CCTV Feed) of Runar tracking some Acoustic Guitar

Nothing like a $15 pastrami sandwich from 7-11 to wash down the boiled hot dogs I had eaten earlier. Thank god for Tuborg!!!!!

Wednesday is my last day with The List - we're mixing the tune. Exciting. It has been a great few days so far.

Ling's Post

2009-11-10T16:54:00.000-08:00

Finished the second studio date today, and I'm EXTREMELY happy. So far, we've tracked drums, bass, and guitar (with scratch vocals), and it sounds great already. Keys and vox tomorrow. The song we're recording is brand new so we spent quite awhile rehearsing yesterday. My artist, Elise Vatsvaag, wrote the song in NY this past week with Jeff Cohen (from Songwriter's Circle) and Sebastian Waldejer. The band is very young, but very professional. I'm very impressed with everyone's caliber of dedication and hospitality too. Gosh, Norwegians are sooo nice. I feel very well treated here. <3

Some things I discovered while here.

1. I love brown cheese (caramelized goat cheese)

2. I do not love Nuendo, Pro Tools is so much better

3. Nick Sansano is extremely photogenic

4. Erik is obsessed with the Norwegian sweater pattern

5. Shane looks "hip" at all times - even next to a wall of sh*t (see picture)

6. NORWAY IS VERY EXPENSIVE

Here are pics of everyone I've tracked thus far. For full album of Norway pictures, CLICK HERE.

The main event - Elise Vatsvaag

17 years old, fat tone bassist - Simen

16 years old, the smiliest drummer - Ivar

Our guitar hero - Christer

The "rhodes" man - Paul

Our killer engineer who needs switch to Pro Tools - Kjell

Oh...picture of me?

Hello from the roof top!

So close, you can taste it....

2009-11-10T16:49:00.000-08:00

Walk outside and your ship awaits...these are literally parked in our front yard. Sea Sea Sea....

Two Worlds, same day...same shirt.

2009-11-10T11:59:00.000-08:00

Today's "Experience Nordic" had N. Sansano holding court at The University of Stavanger with the chair of the music department Dr. Jens Torlf Larsen, and associate professor Mark Drews. From the university tete a tete, Sansano was quickly whisked away in an unmarked Mercedes with a pinkish / orange interior to a defunct brewery turned studio to meet, and kick some death metal ass with, Norwegian uber metal grinders, Stavanger's own Purified in Blood. Guess who's who !

That's band producer Ashley Stubbert peering over Sansano's shoulder. No tattoos ? Back of the pack Mr. producer man. Snakkes!!

Sansano asked P.I.B to put on traditional Norwegian sweaters for the photo...they promptly cut off the big toe on his left foot...and ate it !!!

Erik's first day with "The List"

2009-11-09T18:23:00.000-08:00

I spent a wonderful day with the Stavanger's "The List" (www.thelist.no) at Eirik Bekkeheien's "Bekk Studio" (www.bekkstudio.no) producing an untitled track. Their sound is reminiscent of Wilco with a sprinkle of Coldplay and a dash of Radiohead, yet they maintain their own style, a sound that I really, really like. I am very happy to be working with them. They have a solid work ethic and are very professional. Eirik Bekkeheien is a superb guy with a great studio about an hour outside of Stavanger.

Our goal for tonight's (Monday) session was to get everything setup and finish all the pre-production,with Tuesday set aside for tracking. Well.... we got the song tracked and laid down rehearsals for a few others that we will work on tomorrow. We're aiming to complete one song and track a few others... because, well, why not? The take they got for this tune is very, very solid.

We've got a few overdubs to finish but the majority of the track will stay live. Ole Reidar is their resident "tech-head" band member who made the Fender Rhodes sound like an electric whale... very cool. We tracked acoustic guitar, vocals, electric guitar, bass, drums, rhodes, and violin, all live an full of energy. Bekk Studio was very comfortable and had everything we required (and more)...

I got home after everyone else had gone to bed. I will get their notes and post them here whenever they wake up! Ling is working with a singer named Elise Vatsvaag and Shane is working with a young rock band named Godal.

Some pictures!

I rock it traditionally.

The List rocks it Traditionally

Benny rocking the beat.

Countryside on the way to BekkStudio.

Bedtime!

Last pictures of the First Day

2009-11-09T17:26:00.000-08:00

Water and a chocolate bar.... $10 (yes, ten dollars).

Even the skateboards wear norwegian sweaters.

Ling's Pictures

2009-11-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

Nick, Shane, and Erik

Shane and Erik try to figure out where exactly they are. Ikea?

ReMu Norway team to work with Norwegian Pop Idol Ektorp Kramfors

2009-11-08T10:54:00.000-08:00

In a last minute change of plans, Team ReMu has been offered the prestigious opportunity to work with the legendary Norwegian guitar-god Ektorp Kramfors of JAVNAKER fame. Hailing from a small fishing village in the northern-most regions of the land, Ektorp will finally realize his dream of recording a concept album chronicling a Lutefisk's journey from sea to plate.

MADE IT TO STAVANGER

2009-11-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

We made it! A bit jet-lagged and groggy, we are now settled at our hotel in the quaintest of the quaint Norwegian Coastal towns, the lovely Stavanger. The town is sleepy today, no hustle and bustle. Everything is closed on Sundays.

I ate literally the most satisfying waffle I've ever had, prepared by none other then Professor Nick "The Viking" Sansano. From here on out, Norway is no longer the country of Tørrfisk and Lutefisk; it is now the land of the waffle.

Shane and I decided to be Americans and eat Burger King..... A mistake for two reasons. 1) It is Burger King 2) a whopper and fries was $16.65 (seriously).

Many thanks go out to Stein and Ashley at Great Moments for making this trip possible.

Monday we begin our studio sessions!

Photos from the day.....

Ling Wang, Shane O'Connell, and Erik Braund wait for the plane to Oslo.

Photo Credit: Nick "Wafflehaus" Sansano.

The Trip Begins..

Oslo!

Approaching Stavanger