My place

I`ve got "my own place" somewhere outside town. It`s nice to disappear to sometimes.
Well, actually it`s not mine. but I like to think it is.
On my way down from the road, I pass an old stonefence. And some rusty, German barbed wire from the Second World War.
Old history that shouts to get my attention, but does not make it.

Down at the fjord it`s time to sit down. Relax. Look at the sea.
On a seabird who is warming itself in the springweather.
In springtime there`s a lot of life in the sea. Whales, dolphins...
This time I can`t see much of it. Except this seabird and some others.
And the waves moving in a calm Saturday pace.

And in my videopage I have made a film about the sea again(Titel: "Varangerfjorden in April 2006").

At last; Springtime!

This is how the spring might be in Vadsø, Arctic Norway. Blue and clear. The seagulls has started to scream at nighttime. The temperature is creeping up to 8 degrees Celsius.
The small birds are having a nice time in the water.

It gives us the excuse to go to the island outside the towncenter. With adults and children.
The children are still fully winther-dressed. But eventhough so happy about the changes.
We know this excellent weather might last just this day. The next, it might as well be snowing again and getting a lot colder. Especially when the ice in the White Sea in Russia is melting, sending a lot of cold and foggy air towards us.

But right now we don`t care. We just love every minute. The boring sausages at the campfire just taste marvellous because of the outdoor scenery, the "warm" air and the blue sky.
Life is good...


...and in this video you can see it all without words...

Hymns, rock and alcohol

I`m singin in a rockband called Daap, that makes some special combinations of rock, old, Nordic hymns and African rhythms.
In the Easter we made a concert in the Saami village Kautokeino. In a concert hall serving alcohol.

In some areas of the North Nordic, there is still a strict and ascetic, religious movement, inspired by the late preacher Lars-Levi Lästadius.
This movement is also a big inspiration of our music. It is something about these serious, ascetic people. The sound and view of them just fit so well into the dark areas of rock.

But the people of Lästadius are also, naturally quite critical to our music.
Especially when we sing hymns in places serving alcohol.
So, in local and national radio and television-stations they expressed some hard criticism.
-This is like serving the holiness to the pig, the leader of the church council in Kautokeino said in one radio interview.

Anyway, we did go to Kautokeino. We did sing our hymns. And performed them in a very rocky way. And some of the audience did drink a few beers.
And it all went so well. The music worked. The people were happy.
Rock is mostly very controversial. It must be. It challenges the boundaries of everyday life. And one day, hopefully, "hymn-rock" is a common and accepted music genre.
(See and hear more in Daaps homepage, http://www.home.no/daap )