1896 Marion Harris*
1913 Muddy Waters*
1913 Cecil Gant*
1929 John Dee Holeman*
1937 Robert Cage*
1948 Pick Withers*
1952 Gary Moore*
1956 Harry Martes*
1960 Sylvester Weaver+
1969 Billy Bizor*
1970 Rebekka Bakken*
1974 Scott H. Biram*
1982 Jorge Salan*
Becky Tate*
1913 Muddy Waters*
1913 Cecil Gant*
1929 John Dee Holeman*
1937 Robert Cage*
1948 Pick Withers*
1952 Gary Moore*
1956 Harry Martes*
1960 Sylvester Weaver+
1969 Billy Bizor*
1970 Rebekka Bakken*
1974 Scott H. Biram*
1982 Jorge Salan*
Becky Tate*
Happy Birthday
Harry Marte *04.04.1956
Fragt mich: Was ist seine hervorragende Eigenschaft?
Antworte ich: Selbsttreue.
Und ihr wollt Genaueres wissen?
Wie er in sich hineinschaut, wenn er die linke Hand um den Hals seiner Martin legt und die Finger der rechten in die Saiten greifen: In wenigen Sekunden Ruhe ruft er die Welt auf, über die er gleich singen wird.
Er ist sich selbst treu, er geht nicht leichtfertig um mit den Welten, von denen er uns erzählt. Er hat Respekt vor den Kindern seiner Fantasie.
Wir dürfen der Wirklichkeit misstrauen, manchmal ist es sogar unsere Pflicht, ihr zu misstrauen – auf die Einbildungskraft des Künstlers müssen wir bauen können.
Harrys Stimme ist mein Freund, auf den ich mich verlasse.
Er hat sich selbst nie verraten. Ich baue auf ihn.
Geprägt von den Rhythmen und Bildern der 60er Jahre macht sich Harry Marte auf in sein Leben und nimmt dabei so manches an Höhen und Tiefen mit, Ohren und Augen offen wenn es um grosse Gefühle und Tragödien, Hoffnungen und Sehnsüchte, um Schicksal geht.
Nach rastlosen Jahren in der Fremde beginnt Harry Marte Ende der 80er Jahre das Erlebte zu verarbeiten. Er schreibt seine Erlebnisse, Erkenntnisse nieder, und wie von selbst spielt seine Gitarre die dazugehörenden Melodien. Songs entstehen, Marte Songs eben ..
"Wenn er nur einen Ton singt, ist es wie eine Ankündigung, gleich werde er ein grosses, berührendes Leben erzählen." meinte dazu einmal sein Wegbegleiter und Freund, der österreichische Schriftsteller Michael Köhlmeier.
Jahrzehnte später scharen sich Musiker um Harry Marte, allesamt eine Generation jünger, aber gleichermassen beeinflusst von der Musik des Westens, vom Blues, Bluegrass, Jazz und den legendären Songwritern.
Wesentlich verklärter ist der Blick dieser Männer auf die Träume der Generation Martes, die Inspiration der Musik ist dieselbe. Die Interpretation ist eine andere.
Kreativ und unkonventionell gehen BIG PIT an Martes starke Geschichten und formen farbige Bilder des Lebens über Einsamkeit, Liebe, Tod und Teufel. Einer vertonten Reise zu den eigenen Träumen und Sehnsüchten steht nichts mehr im Weg.
Krebshilfe Benefiz All Stars - Folsom Prison Blues - Harry Marte
Scott H. Biram *04.04.1974
Er selbst nennt sich "The Dirty Old One Man Band", er ist ein Outsider, ein respektloser Storyteller zwischen Blues, Country-Americana und akustischem Folk oder ein dreckiger stompin´ Blues-Bastard, der den Verzerrergerne auf die Gitarre legt und sie dröhnen lässt, während er von seinen vielfältigen Erlebnissen mit Alkohol singt. Blut ist dabei auf seinem 9ten Album Synonym für die verschiedensten Dinge: Leben, Tod, Leiden, Unheil, Hingabe, Vermächtnis oder auch Versöhnung. Biram geht musikalisch kompromisslos vor, macht keine Gefangenen, wenn er die Garage betritt, kann aber auch einfühlsam und witzig sein. Wie beispielsweise beim stürmischen "Only Whiskey", eine Art Black Flag trifft Son House, in dem er die Bedeutung von Monogamie mal eben neu definiert. Er geht sogar soweit, seine Metalwurzeln bei dem von fiesen Growls getoppten "Around The Bend" zu offenbaren und doch mit einem Bein im Blues stehen zu bleiben, geilo. *Bloodshot
The self proclaimed ‘Dirty Old One Man Band’ successfully, and sometimes violently, lashes together blues, hillbilly and country precariously into raucous punk and godless metal. Years of non-stop touring have honed his assault to a fine edge; his wide-eyed throw downs in the First Church of Ultimate Fanaticism routinely lead giddy followers to a fiery baptism.
Biram ain’t no candy-ass singer/songwriter either, sweetly strumming songs about girls with big eyes and dusty highways. HELL NO!!! His singing, yodeling, growling, leering and brash preachin’ and hollerin’ is accompanied by sloppy riffs and licks from his 1959 Gibson guitar and pounding backbeat brought forth by his amplified left foot. The remainder of this one-man band consists of an unwieldy combination of beat-up amplifiers and old microphones strung together by a tangled mess of guitar cables.
Scott H. Biram won’t die. On May 11th, 2003, one month after being hit head-on by an 18-wheeler at 75 MPH, he took the stage at The Continental Club in Austin, TX in a wheel chair – I.V. still dangling from his arm. With 2 broken legs, a broken foot, a broken arm and 1 foot less of his lower intestine, Biram unleashed his trademark musical wrath.
When Scott H. Biram took the stage at his 2004 SXSW festival showcase right after Kris Kristofferson he was quoted as growling “They said that was a hard act to follow….I’m a hard act to follow motherfuckers!!” The stunned crowd looked on.
Biram ain’t no candy-ass singer/songwriter either, sweetly strumming songs about girls with big eyes and dusty highways. HELL NO!!! His singing, yodeling, growling, leering and brash preachin’ and hollerin’ is accompanied by sloppy riffs and licks from his 1959 Gibson guitar and pounding backbeat brought forth by his amplified left foot. The remainder of this one-man band consists of an unwieldy combination of beat-up amplifiers and old microphones strung together by a tangled mess of guitar cables.
Scott H. Biram won’t die. On May 11th, 2003, one month after being hit head-on by an 18-wheeler at 75 MPH, he took the stage at The Continental Club in Austin, TX in a wheel chair – I.V. still dangling from his arm. With 2 broken legs, a broken foot, a broken arm and 1 foot less of his lower intestine, Biram unleashed his trademark musical wrath.
When Scott H. Biram took the stage at his 2004 SXSW festival showcase right after Kris Kristofferson he was quoted as growling “They said that was a hard act to follow….I’m a hard act to follow motherfuckers!!” The stunned crowd looked on.
Scott H. Biram, aka Scott Biram, SHB, Hiram Biram, or The Dirty Old One Man Band (born April 4, 1974) is an award winning American blues, punk, country, heavy metal musician, and record producer based in Austin, Texas. He is primarily known as one of the prominent musicians of the One Man Band musical genre. He has appeared on national television shows such as NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and performed in prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City and The Fillmore West in San Francisco, California. His music has been featured in many American television shows and films. He has also appeared as himself in several films and documentaries.
Biography
Biram was born in Lockhart, Texas, United States, and raised in Prairie Lea and San Marcos, Texas. He graduated from San Marcos High School in 1992 and then from Southwest Texas State University (now called Texas State University) in 1997 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Prior to becoming a one-man band, he was a member of a punk band (The Thangs) and two bluegrass bands (Scott Biram & the Salt Peter Boys and Bluegrass Drive-By).[1]
Biram first released five albums under his own record label, KnuckleSandwich Records. His first album was This is Kingsbury?, released in 2000. This was followed by a second release, Preachin' & Hollerin in 2002. In February 2003 he released his third album, Lo-fi Mojo, recorded live on the radio in Austin, Texas. In April 2003, while recovering from a major head-on collision with a big-rig semi truck he recorded and released the "Rehabilitation Blues E.P." The recording was made at his parent's home while he was still bedridden from his crash. In 2004, he released The Dirty Old One Man Band. Subsequently, it was re-released (with a few changes) in 2005 when Biram signed with Bloodshot Records from Chicago, Illinois. After signing with Bloodshot, Biram released Graveyard Shift (2006), and Something's Wrong / Lost Forever (2009). Something's Wrong/Lost Forever reached #5 on the Billboard Blues Chart. His fourth record on the Bloodshot label, Bad Ingredients, was released on October 11, 2011. The Album reached #35 on the iTunes Rock Chart on the day of release.[2] A week after the release of Bad Ingredients he appeared on the cover of the Austin, TX weekly magazine, The Austin Chronicle. He received the "Best Blues Record" award in the 2012 Independent Music Awards. On November 29, 2013 (Black Friday/Record Store Day) he released a limited edition gospel 7" vinyl single, "When I Die," (with B-side "John The Revelator" featuring Jesse Vain). The downloadable version was also made available. His latest full-length album,"Nothin' But Blood" was released on Bloodshot Records, February 4, 2014 on both limited edition, blood-red vinyl, and compact disc.
On March 25, 2003, Biram was involved in a head-on collision with a big-rig semi truck, which resulted in both his vehicle and his body being crushed. He survived the wreck and was flown to Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. He suffered from a broken femur, knee, foot, and arm, and severe internal injuries. Metal rods and pins were placed in all of the broken bones, and one and a half feet of his intestine had to be removed from his body.[3] One month later he was back on stage at Austin's Continental Club playing a show from a wheelchair with an I.V. still dangling from his arm.
Since 1999, Biram has toured the United States, Canada, and Europe (performing approximately 200 dates a year). Between 2005 and 2015, he has toured Europe 20 times, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. He has toured and/or shared the stage with bands such as Reverend Horton Heat, Shooter Jennings, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Hank Williams III. Biram has also performed on bills with blues legends such as Pine Top Perkins, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, T-Model Ford, and Cedell Davis, as well as support for hard rock bands, Clutch, Social Distortion, The Misfits, Weedeater, and Pentagram, and appeared at large music festivals such as South By Southwest, Austin City Limits, Fun Fun Fun Fest, and Sweden Rock Festival with big names like Judas Priest, Motley Crüe, Def Leppard, Slash, Toto, The Darkness, Dokken, Robert Plant, Foo Fighters, Black Keys, John Fogerty, The Black Crowes, Snoop Dogg, King Diamond, Jello Biafra, and Dinosaur Jr.. When Scott H. Biram took the stage at his 2004 SXSW festival showcase right after country singer, Kris Kristofferson he was quoted as growling "They said that was a hard act to follow….I'm a hard act to follow motherf***ers!!”
Although Biram doesn't cite anyone, or thing as an influence for becoming a one man band besides "a need to pay bills" and "a need to avoid the politics of being in a band," he has mentioned that he is proud to have shared the stage with other prominent one man bands such as the late Hasil Adkins and his friend Bob Log III.
Biram's musical style covers a wide spectrum. "I grew up on Doc Watson, Lead Belly and Lightnin' Hopkins," he revealed, "and in college, I discovered more obscure people like Lil' Son Jackson and Mance Lipscomb."[4] Biram mixes roots music, CB radios and a punk rock attitude.[5] "I kind of pride myself on being able to release my emotions freely and not hold back at all," he says. "So many people these days have timid little weak voices like they're scared to belt it out."[6]
Although primarily known as a One Man Band, other musicians have participated and appeared on multiple Biram releases. Austin, TX musicians, The Weary Boys appeared on songs featured on Biram's records, "Preachin' and Hollerin'" and "The Dirty Old One Man Band". Particularly the songs "Truckdriver," "Sweet Thing," and "Ocean of Diamonds". Ethan Shawe of Austin, TX based band, Chili Cold Blood contributed steel guitar on the song "18 Wheeler Fever" on Biram's 2006 release "Graveyard Shift". John Wesley Myers and Van Campbell of Black Diamond Heavies appeared on two songs on Biram's release "Something's Wrong/Lost Forever". These songs were "I Feel So Good" and "Hard Time". Walter Daniels, more widely known for his harmonica playing, contributed saxophone solos on the song "I Want My Mojo Back" which was featured on Biram's 2011 record, "Bad Ingredients". Percussionist, Matthew Puryear of the local Austin, TX band Chili Cold Blood also contributed various percussion on several of the songs on Biram's "Bad Ingredients" album.
In 2012, Scott H. Biram's 8th release, "Bad Ingredients", won "Best Blues Record" with The Independent Music Awards. He accepted his award and performed at The Lincoln Center in New York City on March 28, 2013.
Scott H. Biram was also nominated for "Best Outlaw Male" in 2015 for The 2nd Annual Ameripolitan Awards. His good friend, and fellow road warrior Jesse Dayton won the award, however. Dayton was on tour supporting Biram at the time the award was presented. Dayton flew back to Austin to accept the award. Fellow, rowdy rocker and XM Radio Outlaw Country DJ, Mojo Nixon MC'd the award ceremony and mentioned that it must have been awkward when they were both nominated and only one had to fly home. There was actually no awkwardness however since the two are great friends and have mutual respect for one another's music.
Scott H. Biram's fans are commonly referred to as "The First Church of The Ultimate Fanaticism". This title was inspired by a fanatical extremist church in the town of Fentress, TX near where Biram grew up. His father jokingly referred to it as "The First Church of The Ultimate Fanaticism" because of its reputation for playing rock records backwards and burning them. The original Scott H. Biram heavy metal song "Church Babies" was written while Scott Biram was the front man for his 90's punk band, The Thangs. The lyrics are about "The First Church of The Ultimate Fanaticism." Despite his seemingly sarcastic lyrics protesting organized religion in various songs, he is also known for recording and performing both original, and traditional, genuine gospel music. In many interviews he has mentioned that he is fascinated with the push and pull of spirituality on a person's life and what he calls "The Human Condition."
He is popularly known for playing original trucker songs such as "TruckDriver", "Reefer Load", "18 Wheeler Fever", "Hit The Road", "Open Road", and "Draggin' Down The Line," among others. He is also known for writing and singing songs about "chickens," which he claims refers not just to poultry, but also to lovers, ex-lovers and "loose women" in general. He also raises real chickens at his home in Austin, TX.
Scott H. Biram's long time fans will recognize his sense of original, casual, rural fashion. He is known for wearing mesh-back trucker hats, and proudly sporting velcro shoes on stage.
The song "Blood, Sweat & Murder" from The Dirty Old One Man Band album, was used in the television program, Dog the Bounty Hunter, in the episode titled "A Helping Hand" and also on an episode of NBC's My Name Is Earl. His song "Hit The Road" was also used on Dog The Bounty Hunter. "Lost Case of Being Found," "Still Drunk, Still Crazy, Still Blue," and "No Way" were used in season four of FX Cable Channel's Sons of Anarchy. His song "Wreck My Car" was used in the film, The Darwin Awards,[7] starring Winona Ryder and Joseph Fiennes. The Biram song, "BBQ Commercial" is used in a television commercial for Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q, a popular Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado restaurant chain. Biram has appeared in many documentary films, including a part in J.D. Wilkes 2008 film, Seven Signs: Music, Myth & the American South.[8] Biram appeared in the 2008 German film The Folk Singer: A Tale of Men, Music & America.[9] He was also featured in the French documentary, One Trip Some Noise. Biram's music was featured in the documentary, Running Heavy,[10][11] and another short documentary entitled "The Tuesday Nighter". He also appears in the film "My Blue Star", a biography about the late Hasil Adkins, a prominent musician in the One Man Band genre. In 2013, Biram was the featured artist on an episode of the PBS television show "The Sun Studio Sessions".
Hard rock band, Nashville Pussy covered his song "Raisin Hell Again" on their 2005 album, Get Some![12] Hank Williams III covered Biram's song, "Truckdriver". Biram also appears as a guest vocalist on "The White Trash Song" featured on southern rocker, Shooter Jennings's 2013 release, "The Other Life". Biram appeared with Jennings as musical guest on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in March 2013.
Biography
Biram was born in Lockhart, Texas, United States, and raised in Prairie Lea and San Marcos, Texas. He graduated from San Marcos High School in 1992 and then from Southwest Texas State University (now called Texas State University) in 1997 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Prior to becoming a one-man band, he was a member of a punk band (The Thangs) and two bluegrass bands (Scott Biram & the Salt Peter Boys and Bluegrass Drive-By).[1]
Biram first released five albums under his own record label, KnuckleSandwich Records. His first album was This is Kingsbury?, released in 2000. This was followed by a second release, Preachin' & Hollerin in 2002. In February 2003 he released his third album, Lo-fi Mojo, recorded live on the radio in Austin, Texas. In April 2003, while recovering from a major head-on collision with a big-rig semi truck he recorded and released the "Rehabilitation Blues E.P." The recording was made at his parent's home while he was still bedridden from his crash. In 2004, he released The Dirty Old One Man Band. Subsequently, it was re-released (with a few changes) in 2005 when Biram signed with Bloodshot Records from Chicago, Illinois. After signing with Bloodshot, Biram released Graveyard Shift (2006), and Something's Wrong / Lost Forever (2009). Something's Wrong/Lost Forever reached #5 on the Billboard Blues Chart. His fourth record on the Bloodshot label, Bad Ingredients, was released on October 11, 2011. The Album reached #35 on the iTunes Rock Chart on the day of release.[2] A week after the release of Bad Ingredients he appeared on the cover of the Austin, TX weekly magazine, The Austin Chronicle. He received the "Best Blues Record" award in the 2012 Independent Music Awards. On November 29, 2013 (Black Friday/Record Store Day) he released a limited edition gospel 7" vinyl single, "When I Die," (with B-side "John The Revelator" featuring Jesse Vain). The downloadable version was also made available. His latest full-length album,"Nothin' But Blood" was released on Bloodshot Records, February 4, 2014 on both limited edition, blood-red vinyl, and compact disc.
On March 25, 2003, Biram was involved in a head-on collision with a big-rig semi truck, which resulted in both his vehicle and his body being crushed. He survived the wreck and was flown to Brook Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. He suffered from a broken femur, knee, foot, and arm, and severe internal injuries. Metal rods and pins were placed in all of the broken bones, and one and a half feet of his intestine had to be removed from his body.[3] One month later he was back on stage at Austin's Continental Club playing a show from a wheelchair with an I.V. still dangling from his arm.
Since 1999, Biram has toured the United States, Canada, and Europe (performing approximately 200 dates a year). Between 2005 and 2015, he has toured Europe 20 times, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. He has toured and/or shared the stage with bands such as Reverend Horton Heat, Shooter Jennings, G. Love & Special Sauce, and Hank Williams III. Biram has also performed on bills with blues legends such as Pine Top Perkins, David "Honeyboy" Edwards, T-Model Ford, and Cedell Davis, as well as support for hard rock bands, Clutch, Social Distortion, The Misfits, Weedeater, and Pentagram, and appeared at large music festivals such as South By Southwest, Austin City Limits, Fun Fun Fun Fest, and Sweden Rock Festival with big names like Judas Priest, Motley Crüe, Def Leppard, Slash, Toto, The Darkness, Dokken, Robert Plant, Foo Fighters, Black Keys, John Fogerty, The Black Crowes, Snoop Dogg, King Diamond, Jello Biafra, and Dinosaur Jr.. When Scott H. Biram took the stage at his 2004 SXSW festival showcase right after country singer, Kris Kristofferson he was quoted as growling "They said that was a hard act to follow….I'm a hard act to follow motherf***ers!!”
Although Biram doesn't cite anyone, or thing as an influence for becoming a one man band besides "a need to pay bills" and "a need to avoid the politics of being in a band," he has mentioned that he is proud to have shared the stage with other prominent one man bands such as the late Hasil Adkins and his friend Bob Log III.
Biram's musical style covers a wide spectrum. "I grew up on Doc Watson, Lead Belly and Lightnin' Hopkins," he revealed, "and in college, I discovered more obscure people like Lil' Son Jackson and Mance Lipscomb."[4] Biram mixes roots music, CB radios and a punk rock attitude.[5] "I kind of pride myself on being able to release my emotions freely and not hold back at all," he says. "So many people these days have timid little weak voices like they're scared to belt it out."[6]
Although primarily known as a One Man Band, other musicians have participated and appeared on multiple Biram releases. Austin, TX musicians, The Weary Boys appeared on songs featured on Biram's records, "Preachin' and Hollerin'" and "The Dirty Old One Man Band". Particularly the songs "Truckdriver," "Sweet Thing," and "Ocean of Diamonds". Ethan Shawe of Austin, TX based band, Chili Cold Blood contributed steel guitar on the song "18 Wheeler Fever" on Biram's 2006 release "Graveyard Shift". John Wesley Myers and Van Campbell of Black Diamond Heavies appeared on two songs on Biram's release "Something's Wrong/Lost Forever". These songs were "I Feel So Good" and "Hard Time". Walter Daniels, more widely known for his harmonica playing, contributed saxophone solos on the song "I Want My Mojo Back" which was featured on Biram's 2011 record, "Bad Ingredients". Percussionist, Matthew Puryear of the local Austin, TX band Chili Cold Blood also contributed various percussion on several of the songs on Biram's "Bad Ingredients" album.
In 2012, Scott H. Biram's 8th release, "Bad Ingredients", won "Best Blues Record" with The Independent Music Awards. He accepted his award and performed at The Lincoln Center in New York City on March 28, 2013.
Scott H. Biram was also nominated for "Best Outlaw Male" in 2015 for The 2nd Annual Ameripolitan Awards. His good friend, and fellow road warrior Jesse Dayton won the award, however. Dayton was on tour supporting Biram at the time the award was presented. Dayton flew back to Austin to accept the award. Fellow, rowdy rocker and XM Radio Outlaw Country DJ, Mojo Nixon MC'd the award ceremony and mentioned that it must have been awkward when they were both nominated and only one had to fly home. There was actually no awkwardness however since the two are great friends and have mutual respect for one another's music.
Scott H. Biram's fans are commonly referred to as "The First Church of The Ultimate Fanaticism". This title was inspired by a fanatical extremist church in the town of Fentress, TX near where Biram grew up. His father jokingly referred to it as "The First Church of The Ultimate Fanaticism" because of its reputation for playing rock records backwards and burning them. The original Scott H. Biram heavy metal song "Church Babies" was written while Scott Biram was the front man for his 90's punk band, The Thangs. The lyrics are about "The First Church of The Ultimate Fanaticism." Despite his seemingly sarcastic lyrics protesting organized religion in various songs, he is also known for recording and performing both original, and traditional, genuine gospel music. In many interviews he has mentioned that he is fascinated with the push and pull of spirituality on a person's life and what he calls "The Human Condition."
He is popularly known for playing original trucker songs such as "TruckDriver", "Reefer Load", "18 Wheeler Fever", "Hit The Road", "Open Road", and "Draggin' Down The Line," among others. He is also known for writing and singing songs about "chickens," which he claims refers not just to poultry, but also to lovers, ex-lovers and "loose women" in general. He also raises real chickens at his home in Austin, TX.
Scott H. Biram's long time fans will recognize his sense of original, casual, rural fashion. He is known for wearing mesh-back trucker hats, and proudly sporting velcro shoes on stage.
The song "Blood, Sweat & Murder" from The Dirty Old One Man Band album, was used in the television program, Dog the Bounty Hunter, in the episode titled "A Helping Hand" and also on an episode of NBC's My Name Is Earl. His song "Hit The Road" was also used on Dog The Bounty Hunter. "Lost Case of Being Found," "Still Drunk, Still Crazy, Still Blue," and "No Way" were used in season four of FX Cable Channel's Sons of Anarchy. His song "Wreck My Car" was used in the film, The Darwin Awards,[7] starring Winona Ryder and Joseph Fiennes. The Biram song, "BBQ Commercial" is used in a television commercial for Rudy's Country Store and Bar-B-Q, a popular Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado restaurant chain. Biram has appeared in many documentary films, including a part in J.D. Wilkes 2008 film, Seven Signs: Music, Myth & the American South.[8] Biram appeared in the 2008 German film The Folk Singer: A Tale of Men, Music & America.[9] He was also featured in the French documentary, One Trip Some Noise. Biram's music was featured in the documentary, Running Heavy,[10][11] and another short documentary entitled "The Tuesday Nighter". He also appears in the film "My Blue Star", a biography about the late Hasil Adkins, a prominent musician in the One Man Band genre. In 2013, Biram was the featured artist on an episode of the PBS television show "The Sun Studio Sessions".
Hard rock band, Nashville Pussy covered his song "Raisin Hell Again" on their 2005 album, Get Some![12] Hank Williams III covered Biram's song, "Truckdriver". Biram also appears as a guest vocalist on "The White Trash Song" featured on southern rocker, Shooter Jennings's 2013 release, "The Other Life". Biram appeared with Jennings as musical guest on NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in March 2013.
SCOTT H. BIRAM - I can't be satisfied (Muddy Waters cover - FD Session)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZxCPQmb2MQ
Rebekka Bakken *04.04.1970
Rebekka
Bakken (* 1970 in Oslo) ist eine norwegische Sängerin, die häufig im
weiteren Sinne der Jazzmusik zugeordnet wird, obgleich sie selbst es
ablehnt, sich als Jazzmusikerin zu charakterisieren.[2] Ihre Stimme
reicht über drei Oktaven.
Leben und Karriere
Schon in der Kindheit kam die in der Nähe ihrer Heimatstadt aufgewachsene Rebekka Bakken innerhalb der Familie mit Musik in Berührung. Der Vater ist Neurologe, die Mutter Lehrerin. Sie spielte klassische Violine und Klavier und sang norwegische Folklore- und Kirchenlieder. In ihren Teenagerjahren machte sie Erfahrungen als Sängerin in Bands der norwegischen Rhythm & Blues-, Rock- und Funk-Szene. Nach Abbruch ihres Philosophie- und Wirtschaftsstudiums zog sie 1995 nach New York, um sich ihrer Gesangskarriere zu widmen. Sie begann, eigene Kompositionen und Texte zu schreiben. Der Einfluss der Modern Jazz nahm dabei zu. Ende der 1990er-Jahre lernte sie den österreichischen Jazz-Gitarristen Wolfgang Muthspiel kennen. Die 2001 und 2002 mit ihm im Duo entstandenen Veröffentlichungen machten sie einem größeren Kreis von Hörern bekannt. Ebenfalls noch in New York traf Rebekka Bakken mit der deutschen Pianistin Julia Hülsmann zusammen. Aus dieser Begegnung entstand die 2003 veröffentlichte CD Scattering Poems, in der Bakken zur Musik des Julia-Hülsmann-Trios Texte des amerikanischen Dichters E. E. Cummings interpretierte. Im gleichen Jahr verließ sie New York und fand in Wien ein neues Zuhause.
Das Label Universal nahm Bakken unter Vertrag, nach Studioaufnahmen in Oslo bei Bugge Wesseltoft veröffentlichte sie 2003 ihre erste Solo-CD, der 2005 die zweite folgte. Beide Aufnahmen zeigen populäre Singer/Songwriter-Einflüsse, ohne dem Jazz jedoch komplett den Rücken zuzukehren. Bei den Aufnahmen zu ihrer dritten Solo-CD I Keep My Cool, die im September 2006 erschien, wurde sie unter anderem von ihrem Landsmann Eivind Aarset unterstützt. Ihr 2009 veröffentlichtes viertes Album Morning Hours wurde von Craig Street produziert.
Während Bakken immer wieder mit Jazzmusikern zusammenarbeitet, ihre Musik oft von Elementen des Jazz beeinflusst ist und diesem häufig auch zugeordnet wird, stellte sie in Interviews wiederholt fest, dass sie sich nicht als Jazzsängerin betrachtet und auch nie Standards oder etwa Scat gesungen hat.[3][4] Dem Jazzbuch von Joachim Ernst Berendt und Günther Huesmann zufolge hat sie jedoch die angeblich „einzigartige Fähigkeit, in die unterschiedlichen Rollen zu schlüpfen, die ihre Lieder verlangen.“ Es zitiert die junge Künstlerin mit dem Satz: „Sobald es einen Text gibt, geht es ganz um ihn. Wir [Sängerinnen] sind nur die Mädchen vom Lieferservice.“[5]
Bakken lebt heute in Schweden.[4]
Auszeichnungen
In Deutschland gewann Bakken dreimal in Folge die Goldene Schallplatte (German Jazz Award): 2003 für das Album The Art of How to Fall, im Folgenden für Scattering Poems und 2005 für das Album Is That You?. Für das Album Little Drop of Poison auf der sie, begleitet von der Hr-Bigband, Lieder von Tom Waits interpretierte, erhielt sie eine weitere Goldene Schallplatte als German Jazz Award.
In Österreich bekam Bakken 2006 eine Goldene Schallplatte für das Album The Art of How Fall, für das sie auch in der Sparte Nationales Jazz/Blues/Folk-Album des Jahres erstmals für einen Amadeus Austrian Music Award nominiert wurde. 2007 gewann sie diesen in der gleichen Kategorie für das Album I Keep Cool.
Leben und Karriere
Schon in der Kindheit kam die in der Nähe ihrer Heimatstadt aufgewachsene Rebekka Bakken innerhalb der Familie mit Musik in Berührung. Der Vater ist Neurologe, die Mutter Lehrerin. Sie spielte klassische Violine und Klavier und sang norwegische Folklore- und Kirchenlieder. In ihren Teenagerjahren machte sie Erfahrungen als Sängerin in Bands der norwegischen Rhythm & Blues-, Rock- und Funk-Szene. Nach Abbruch ihres Philosophie- und Wirtschaftsstudiums zog sie 1995 nach New York, um sich ihrer Gesangskarriere zu widmen. Sie begann, eigene Kompositionen und Texte zu schreiben. Der Einfluss der Modern Jazz nahm dabei zu. Ende der 1990er-Jahre lernte sie den österreichischen Jazz-Gitarristen Wolfgang Muthspiel kennen. Die 2001 und 2002 mit ihm im Duo entstandenen Veröffentlichungen machten sie einem größeren Kreis von Hörern bekannt. Ebenfalls noch in New York traf Rebekka Bakken mit der deutschen Pianistin Julia Hülsmann zusammen. Aus dieser Begegnung entstand die 2003 veröffentlichte CD Scattering Poems, in der Bakken zur Musik des Julia-Hülsmann-Trios Texte des amerikanischen Dichters E. E. Cummings interpretierte. Im gleichen Jahr verließ sie New York und fand in Wien ein neues Zuhause.
Das Label Universal nahm Bakken unter Vertrag, nach Studioaufnahmen in Oslo bei Bugge Wesseltoft veröffentlichte sie 2003 ihre erste Solo-CD, der 2005 die zweite folgte. Beide Aufnahmen zeigen populäre Singer/Songwriter-Einflüsse, ohne dem Jazz jedoch komplett den Rücken zuzukehren. Bei den Aufnahmen zu ihrer dritten Solo-CD I Keep My Cool, die im September 2006 erschien, wurde sie unter anderem von ihrem Landsmann Eivind Aarset unterstützt. Ihr 2009 veröffentlichtes viertes Album Morning Hours wurde von Craig Street produziert.
Während Bakken immer wieder mit Jazzmusikern zusammenarbeitet, ihre Musik oft von Elementen des Jazz beeinflusst ist und diesem häufig auch zugeordnet wird, stellte sie in Interviews wiederholt fest, dass sie sich nicht als Jazzsängerin betrachtet und auch nie Standards oder etwa Scat gesungen hat.[3][4] Dem Jazzbuch von Joachim Ernst Berendt und Günther Huesmann zufolge hat sie jedoch die angeblich „einzigartige Fähigkeit, in die unterschiedlichen Rollen zu schlüpfen, die ihre Lieder verlangen.“ Es zitiert die junge Künstlerin mit dem Satz: „Sobald es einen Text gibt, geht es ganz um ihn. Wir [Sängerinnen] sind nur die Mädchen vom Lieferservice.“[5]
Bakken lebt heute in Schweden.[4]
Auszeichnungen
In Deutschland gewann Bakken dreimal in Folge die Goldene Schallplatte (German Jazz Award): 2003 für das Album The Art of How to Fall, im Folgenden für Scattering Poems und 2005 für das Album Is That You?. Für das Album Little Drop of Poison auf der sie, begleitet von der Hr-Bigband, Lieder von Tom Waits interpretierte, erhielt sie eine weitere Goldene Schallplatte als German Jazz Award.
In Österreich bekam Bakken 2006 eine Goldene Schallplatte für das Album The Art of How Fall, für das sie auch in der Sparte Nationales Jazz/Blues/Folk-Album des Jahres erstmals für einen Amadeus Austrian Music Award nominiert wurde. 2007 gewann sie diesen in der gleichen Kategorie für das Album I Keep Cool.
Wenn
es nach Rebekka Bakken ginge, würde man nicht über ihre Musik reden,
sondern sie am besten nur anhören. Die Singer/Songwriterin mit der tief
unter die Haut dringenden Drei-Oktaven-Stimme ist eine „Anti Drama
Queen“, eine gleichzeitig rastlose und in sich ruhende Seele, die
beständig abwägt und abwiegelt und bloß kein Aufhebens um ihre Person
und ihre Kunst gemacht haben will. „Ich brauche die Musik mehr als sie
mich braucht“, sagt sie daher. „Mir gefällt es, alles in meiner Musik
zum Leben zu erwecken. Aber das ist keine große Sache.“ Hören ist Fühlen
ist Leben, wenn es um diese emotionale Künstlerin geht. Aber vielleicht
gerade weil ihre Lieder so poetisch und vielsagend sind, ihre Melodien
so eine klare, schöne Sprache sprechen, ist die Neugierde so groß,
dahinter zu schauen. Mit ihrem fünften Soloalbum setzt die norwegische
Sängerin, die lange in New York und Wien wohnte und inzwischen auf einer
Pferdefarm in Schweden lebt, ihre „amerikanische Serie“ fort. In enger
Zusammenarbeit mit Malcolm Burn in Kingston, New York, produziert,
präsentieren sich die zwölf selbstbewussten und schnörkellosen Songs von
„September“ als eines der wohl schönsten von Country beeinflussten
Liederalben unserer Zeit. Exzellent gesungen, sinnlich und satt
gespielt, wirken diese Texte über Liebe, Leben, Lust und Leiden – die
ältesten Themen der Welt – immer aktuell. Schon vom Sound her sind sie
so eigen und originell, dass auch die drei Cover-Versionen von Bruce
Springsteen, Jane Siberry und Alphaville perfekt zu den selbst
geschriebenen Liedern der Leaderin passen. Diese Musik berührt, auf
etlichen Ebenen. „Kommunikation“, sagt Rebekka Bakken, „braucht so viel
mehr als Worte.“
Der Albumtitel „September“ und die gewisse Melancholie dazu beziehen sich auf „den Anfang vom Ende der Dinge“, wie Rebekka Bakken sagt. „Dadurch, dass ich die Welt und das Leben im letzten Jahr durch die Augen meines sterbenden Vaters betrachten konnte und mich im September seines Lebens so um ihn kümmern konnte, starben auch in mir etliche Dinge. Es gab nur noch weniges, das mir etwas bedeutete, aber das wenige war dafür so voller Leben, dass ich selbst mich lebendiger denn je fühlte. Ich konnte mich von viel Nutzlosem trennen, das ich in den vergangenen Frühjahren und Sommern angesammelt hatte. Eine Zeit lang zweifelte ich auch an meiner Musik, hatte nicht das Gefühl, dass die Musik mich oder mein Streben nach Sinn als Vollzeitbeschäftigung so sehr erfüllen könnte, wie das, was ich gerade erfahren hatte. Bis zu meinem nächsten Konzert, bei dem ich überglücklich war, weil ich dort genau diese Gefühle von Bedeutung und Relevanz wiederfand.“ Sie begann neue Stücke zu schreiben, einfach so, „aus dem Nichts“, mit einem Urvertrauen in ihre kreative Kraft, das Rebekka Bakken selbst schon auf ihrem Debütalbum als „The Art of How To Fall“ beschrieb. Nach einigen Monaten hatte sie genau die Lieder geschaffen, die ihren Gefühlskosmos beschrieben, etwa das feinsinnige Titelstück, die lebenslustigen Pop-Grooves „Driving“ oder „Girl Next Door“, das poetische Schlaflied „Mina’s Dream“, den Midtempo-Ohrwurm „Never Been To Paris“, die cineastische Episode vom „Innocent Thief“ und natürlich traurig-schöne Liebeslieder wie „Strange Evening“. Dazu kamen komplett überarbeitete und neu arrangierte Lieder mit denen ihr andere Songwriter aus der Seele sprachen, etwa Jane Siberrys sentimentale Ode „Love Is Everything“, Bruce Springsteens gebrochenes „The Wrestler“ (aus dem gleichnamigen Film mit Mickey Rourke) und „Forever Young“, ein Hit, den Rebekka als 14-jährige so sehr liebte, dass sie sich einen Rekorder und die Alphaville-Kassette dazu lieh und beides so strapazierte, bis das Band schließlich riss. „Der Junge, von dem ich mir die Kassette geliehen hatte, war ein echt gefährlicher, ziemlich brutaler Typ“, erinnert sie sich. „Ich hatte schreckliche Angst, dass ich meinem letzten Stündchen ins Gesicht sehen würde, wenn ich ihm gestand, dass das Band ruiniert war. Als ich es endlich tat, zuckte er nur mit den Achseln und sagte: „Sowas passiert.“ Dieser Song erinnert mich immer an die unglaubliche Erleichterung, die ich verspürte, als mir klar wurde, dass ich jetzt doch noch nicht sterben musste.“ Nachdem die Songs feststanden, ergab sich bald ein Kontakt zu Malcolm Burn, einem in Kanada geborenen Produzenten, der sich bisher durch seine Arbeit mit Daniel Lanois oder Bob Dylan hervortat und einen Grammy für seine Produktion mit Emmylou Harris gewann. Im Februar 2011 reiste Rebekka Bakken schließlich in sein Studio in Kingston, New York, und begann dort mit den Aufnahmen zu „September“, begleitet einer fantastischen amerikanischen Band mit der Bassistin Gail Ann Dorsey, dem Gitarristen Bill Dillon und Drummer Bill Dobrow. „Ich fühlte mich während der Aufnahmen so unglaublich frei, weil diese Musiker meine musikalische Welt wirklich gefühlt und zum Ausdruck gebracht haben. Für mich selbst ist das Unglaublichste an diesem Album vielleicht, dass ich darauf Klavier spiele“, sagt Rebekka Bakken. „Damit hätte ich bestimmt nie gerechnet.“
Dabei verhilft es ihrer Musik, die sie seit jeher am Klavier komponiert, zu einem neuen, freien und selbstsicheren Ausdruck. „Musik kann nicht nicht geschehen“, sagt sie, bewusst in der doppelten Verneinung. „Nur wenn man sich bemüht, klappt es nicht. Wenn man nicht zu viel denkt, kann Musik einfach kommen.“ Diese natürliche, selbstverständliche Qualität merkt man der Musik auf „September“ während der fast einstündigen Reise durch eine enorme emotionale Bandbreite an. Vor allem, wenn man sie anhört. Und nicht zu viel darüber redet.
Der Albumtitel „September“ und die gewisse Melancholie dazu beziehen sich auf „den Anfang vom Ende der Dinge“, wie Rebekka Bakken sagt. „Dadurch, dass ich die Welt und das Leben im letzten Jahr durch die Augen meines sterbenden Vaters betrachten konnte und mich im September seines Lebens so um ihn kümmern konnte, starben auch in mir etliche Dinge. Es gab nur noch weniges, das mir etwas bedeutete, aber das wenige war dafür so voller Leben, dass ich selbst mich lebendiger denn je fühlte. Ich konnte mich von viel Nutzlosem trennen, das ich in den vergangenen Frühjahren und Sommern angesammelt hatte. Eine Zeit lang zweifelte ich auch an meiner Musik, hatte nicht das Gefühl, dass die Musik mich oder mein Streben nach Sinn als Vollzeitbeschäftigung so sehr erfüllen könnte, wie das, was ich gerade erfahren hatte. Bis zu meinem nächsten Konzert, bei dem ich überglücklich war, weil ich dort genau diese Gefühle von Bedeutung und Relevanz wiederfand.“ Sie begann neue Stücke zu schreiben, einfach so, „aus dem Nichts“, mit einem Urvertrauen in ihre kreative Kraft, das Rebekka Bakken selbst schon auf ihrem Debütalbum als „The Art of How To Fall“ beschrieb. Nach einigen Monaten hatte sie genau die Lieder geschaffen, die ihren Gefühlskosmos beschrieben, etwa das feinsinnige Titelstück, die lebenslustigen Pop-Grooves „Driving“ oder „Girl Next Door“, das poetische Schlaflied „Mina’s Dream“, den Midtempo-Ohrwurm „Never Been To Paris“, die cineastische Episode vom „Innocent Thief“ und natürlich traurig-schöne Liebeslieder wie „Strange Evening“. Dazu kamen komplett überarbeitete und neu arrangierte Lieder mit denen ihr andere Songwriter aus der Seele sprachen, etwa Jane Siberrys sentimentale Ode „Love Is Everything“, Bruce Springsteens gebrochenes „The Wrestler“ (aus dem gleichnamigen Film mit Mickey Rourke) und „Forever Young“, ein Hit, den Rebekka als 14-jährige so sehr liebte, dass sie sich einen Rekorder und die Alphaville-Kassette dazu lieh und beides so strapazierte, bis das Band schließlich riss. „Der Junge, von dem ich mir die Kassette geliehen hatte, war ein echt gefährlicher, ziemlich brutaler Typ“, erinnert sie sich. „Ich hatte schreckliche Angst, dass ich meinem letzten Stündchen ins Gesicht sehen würde, wenn ich ihm gestand, dass das Band ruiniert war. Als ich es endlich tat, zuckte er nur mit den Achseln und sagte: „Sowas passiert.“ Dieser Song erinnert mich immer an die unglaubliche Erleichterung, die ich verspürte, als mir klar wurde, dass ich jetzt doch noch nicht sterben musste.“ Nachdem die Songs feststanden, ergab sich bald ein Kontakt zu Malcolm Burn, einem in Kanada geborenen Produzenten, der sich bisher durch seine Arbeit mit Daniel Lanois oder Bob Dylan hervortat und einen Grammy für seine Produktion mit Emmylou Harris gewann. Im Februar 2011 reiste Rebekka Bakken schließlich in sein Studio in Kingston, New York, und begann dort mit den Aufnahmen zu „September“, begleitet einer fantastischen amerikanischen Band mit der Bassistin Gail Ann Dorsey, dem Gitarristen Bill Dillon und Drummer Bill Dobrow. „Ich fühlte mich während der Aufnahmen so unglaublich frei, weil diese Musiker meine musikalische Welt wirklich gefühlt und zum Ausdruck gebracht haben. Für mich selbst ist das Unglaublichste an diesem Album vielleicht, dass ich darauf Klavier spiele“, sagt Rebekka Bakken. „Damit hätte ich bestimmt nie gerechnet.“
Dabei verhilft es ihrer Musik, die sie seit jeher am Klavier komponiert, zu einem neuen, freien und selbstsicheren Ausdruck. „Musik kann nicht nicht geschehen“, sagt sie, bewusst in der doppelten Verneinung. „Nur wenn man sich bemüht, klappt es nicht. Wenn man nicht zu viel denkt, kann Musik einfach kommen.“ Diese natürliche, selbstverständliche Qualität merkt man der Musik auf „September“ während der fast einstündigen Reise durch eine enorme emotionale Bandbreite an. Vor allem, wenn man sie anhört. Und nicht zu viel darüber redet.
If
it was up to Rebekka Bakken, people would not talk about her music, but
rather just listen to it. The singer-songwriter with the deeply
touching three-octave range is an “Anti Drama Queen” – a restless soul
and at rest within herself at the same time. Constantly pondering and
appeasing, she does not like to have people make a fuss about herself or
her art. “I need the music more than it needs me”, she says
accordingly. “I like to put everything to life in my music. It’s no big
deal.” Hearing is feeling is living, when it comes to this emotional
artist. But maybe it is also because her songs are so poetic and
meaningful and her melodies speak so clearly and beautifully, that the
curiosity to find out what is behind them is so enormous. With her fifth
album the Norwegian singer, who was living in New York and Vienna for a
long time and now makes her home on a horse-farm in Sweden, continues
her “American series”. Produced in close collaboration with Malcolm Burn
in Kingston, New York, the twelve self-confident and straightforward
songs of “September” present themselves as one of the most beautiful,
Country-influenced song-albums of our time. Brilliantly sung, sensually
and lusciously played, these songs about love, life, lust and misery –
the oldest topics in the world – always seem up to date. Their sound
already is so unique and original, that even the three cover-versions of
songs by Bruce Springsteen, Jane Siberry, and Alphaville, fit perfectly
with Bakken’s own new compositions. This music touches, on many levels.
“Communication”, as Rebakka Bakken says, “is so much more than words.”
The album-title “September” and that certain melancholy that comes with it relate to “the beginning of the end of all things”, as Rebekka Bakken says. “Because I could see the world and life through the eyes and the heart of my dying father last year and was able to be there for him in the September of his life, I came to die to a lot of things in my own life, too. Very few things had meaning afterwards, but those things that did were so filled with life, that I felt more alive than ever. Through that I was able to get rid of the accumulated useless belongings of the last springs and summers. But it was pretty weird to lose total interest in my own work for a while, as I did not have the feeling that music could fulfill me or my sense of an occupation as much as what I had just experienced; at least until I had my next concert, which made me incredibly happy, since I found that meaningfulness also there.” She began writing new songs, just like that, “from nothing”, with the same basic trust in her creative powers, which Rebekka Bakken already so aptly described on her debut-album “The Art Of How To Fall”. A few months later she had created exactly those songs which expressed her emotional universe, such as the subtle title-track, the fun-loving pop-grooves “Driving” or “Girl Next Door”, the lyrical lullaby “Mina’s Dream”, the catchy midtempo-melody “Never Been To Paris”, the cinematic episode about the “Innocent Thief”, and such tragically beautiful love-songs as “Strange Evening”, of course. In addition she found (and completely re-worked and re-arranged) songs by other songwriters, which spoke to her soul, like Jane Siberry’s sentimental ode “Love Is Everything”, Bruce Springsteen’s “The Wrestler” (from the movie of the same name, starring Mickey Rourke), as well as “Forever Young”, a hit, which Rebekka loved so much when she was only fourteen, that she borrowed a tape-recorder and the Alphaville-tape with it and wore both of them out so thoroughly that the latter eventually broke. “The boy I had borrowed the tape from was really mean and tough”, she remembers. “I was really scared, that I would be facing my final hour, when I told him that I had ruined his tape. When I finally did so, he just shrugged and said: “It happens.” This song always reminds me of the enormous relief I felt when I realized, that after all I wouldn’t have to die for now.” After deciding on the songs, the contact with Malcolm Burn was established, a Canadian-born producer, who has so far excelled with his work for Daniel Lanois or Bob Dylan, and with his Grammy-award-winning productions for Emmylou Harris. Rebekka Bakken travelled to his studio in Kingston, New York, in February 2011 and began recording „September“, accompanied by a fantastic group of American musicians with Gail Ann Dorsey on bass, the guitarist Bill Dillon and drummer Bill Dobrow. “I felt so free during these recordings, because these musicians were really feeling and expressing my musical world. If you ask me, maybe the most unbelievable thing about this album is the fact that I am playing the piano myself”, Rebekka Bakken says. “I never thought that would ever happen.”
The fact that Rebekka Bakken does not only sing but also play her own music, which she has always composed on piano, helps in creating a new, free, and self-assured expression. “Music cannot not happen”, she says, consciously using the double negative. “If you try, it’s not going to work. But if people don’t think too much, music can some.” This natural and self-evident quality can be heard in the music on “September” during its almost one-hour-long journey across an enormous emotional scope; especially when one listens to it and does not talk about it too much.
The album-title “September” and that certain melancholy that comes with it relate to “the beginning of the end of all things”, as Rebekka Bakken says. “Because I could see the world and life through the eyes and the heart of my dying father last year and was able to be there for him in the September of his life, I came to die to a lot of things in my own life, too. Very few things had meaning afterwards, but those things that did were so filled with life, that I felt more alive than ever. Through that I was able to get rid of the accumulated useless belongings of the last springs and summers. But it was pretty weird to lose total interest in my own work for a while, as I did not have the feeling that music could fulfill me or my sense of an occupation as much as what I had just experienced; at least until I had my next concert, which made me incredibly happy, since I found that meaningfulness also there.” She began writing new songs, just like that, “from nothing”, with the same basic trust in her creative powers, which Rebekka Bakken already so aptly described on her debut-album “The Art Of How To Fall”. A few months later she had created exactly those songs which expressed her emotional universe, such as the subtle title-track, the fun-loving pop-grooves “Driving” or “Girl Next Door”, the lyrical lullaby “Mina’s Dream”, the catchy midtempo-melody “Never Been To Paris”, the cinematic episode about the “Innocent Thief”, and such tragically beautiful love-songs as “Strange Evening”, of course. In addition she found (and completely re-worked and re-arranged) songs by other songwriters, which spoke to her soul, like Jane Siberry’s sentimental ode “Love Is Everything”, Bruce Springsteen’s “The Wrestler” (from the movie of the same name, starring Mickey Rourke), as well as “Forever Young”, a hit, which Rebekka loved so much when she was only fourteen, that she borrowed a tape-recorder and the Alphaville-tape with it and wore both of them out so thoroughly that the latter eventually broke. “The boy I had borrowed the tape from was really mean and tough”, she remembers. “I was really scared, that I would be facing my final hour, when I told him that I had ruined his tape. When I finally did so, he just shrugged and said: “It happens.” This song always reminds me of the enormous relief I felt when I realized, that after all I wouldn’t have to die for now.” After deciding on the songs, the contact with Malcolm Burn was established, a Canadian-born producer, who has so far excelled with his work for Daniel Lanois or Bob Dylan, and with his Grammy-award-winning productions for Emmylou Harris. Rebekka Bakken travelled to his studio in Kingston, New York, in February 2011 and began recording „September“, accompanied by a fantastic group of American musicians with Gail Ann Dorsey on bass, the guitarist Bill Dillon and drummer Bill Dobrow. “I felt so free during these recordings, because these musicians were really feeling and expressing my musical world. If you ask me, maybe the most unbelievable thing about this album is the fact that I am playing the piano myself”, Rebekka Bakken says. “I never thought that would ever happen.”
The fact that Rebekka Bakken does not only sing but also play her own music, which she has always composed on piano, helps in creating a new, free, and self-assured expression. “Music cannot not happen”, she says, consciously using the double negative. “If you try, it’s not going to work. But if people don’t think too much, music can some.” This natural and self-evident quality can be heard in the music on “September” during its almost one-hour-long journey across an enormous emotional scope; especially when one listens to it and does not talk about it too much.
Rebekka Bakken (born April 4, 1970 in Oslo, Norway ) is a Norwegian jazz singer and composer.[1]
Career
Bakken began singing in various school bands, before beginning to sing with professional soul, funk and rock bands in 1988. She is known for her particularly expressive and varied voice, performing music that is a combination of folk, jazz and pop.[2]
Honors
2007: Recipient of the Amadeus Austrian Music Award in the category jazz/blues/folk for her album I Keep My Cool.
Career
Bakken began singing in various school bands, before beginning to sing with professional soul, funk and rock bands in 1988. She is known for her particularly expressive and varied voice, performing music that is a combination of folk, jazz and pop.[2]
Honors
2007: Recipient of the Amadeus Austrian Music Award in the category jazz/blues/folk for her album I Keep My Cool.
Rebekka Bakken - Downtown
Rebekka Bakken - Live at Baloise Session 2014
● Personnel:
Rebekka Bakken - vocals, piano
Rune Arnesen - drums
Svante Henryson - cello, electric bass
Frode Alnaes - guitar
Tony Lakatos - sax
● Rebekka Bakken - Live at Baloise Session 2014
Live in Basel, Switzerland, October 28th, 2014
Rebekka Bakken - vocals, piano
Rune Arnesen - drums
Svante Henryson - cello, electric bass
Frode Alnaes - guitar
Tony Lakatos - sax
● Rebekka Bakken - Live at Baloise Session 2014
Live in Basel, Switzerland, October 28th, 2014
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