5 questions to Nordagust.
Artur Chachlowski asks Ketil Armand Berg and Daniel Solheim
> 1. In The Mist Of Morning is your debut CD. It was out as demo 3 years ago. Why did this material wait so long for the official release?
Ketil: That`s because of the lack of interest from record companies. It seemed like it was only Karisma who had the guts to support us. We signed contract with them in april 2009 – I believe it was – and then they had a bit of work with the mastering and so on… But after all: Three years is only a small delay, in our world…
Daniel: And we wanted to do a remix of all the songs. And the record company wanted another cover for the official release. All this took quite a while.
> 2. Do you have any other "demo stuff". Are you planning to release it as the regular album soon?
Ketil: The other demo we sent over to Karisma in 2007 is also a full length album; “naudr”, but more in the - not yet heard - genre “doom folkprog”?, or something like that. This record is made much more spontaneous than “In the mist….”, and contains even darker moods and even stranger instruments and objects. However, I guess the songs we will pick for the next record will be more in the vain of “In the mist”, much based upon the interest from several countries. “naudr” will hopefully be released as a curiosity later on.
> 3. Do you work on the new material? Can we expect the new official Nordagust CD release it 2011?
Ketil: Not exactly any new material. We have too many songs who have been lying in coma for several years already. They deserve not to be forgotten – and hopefully they will be released during 2011.
Daniel: Since Jostein joined the band he and I have composed some new material. Maybe some of this will be heard on our next album.
> 4. A six piece band with two girls playing on the instruments is not the usual on the rock scene. Can you explain how and when your band has been formed?
Ketil: Sissel decided to quit Nordagust before Christmas, so we only got one girl in the band at the moment. Guro is 16 years old, and a highly talented guitarist and keyboardist already. It wasn`t easy to find a musician who would fit into this concept. We searched high and low, only to realize that the best qualified one, was Knud Jarles daughter! Before that – in 2008 – we found Jostein, a man who fits into our world – highly musically talented, the same humour, and a wide perspective on life.
> 5. Do you agree that Nordagust music belongs to the same genre as Anekdoten's and Anglagard's stuff? What is/was your musical inspirations from past and present?
Ketil: The Swedish prog-scene were a great source of inspiration in the 90`s. A fresh breath. I suppose you could find many similar folk-elements in some of our songs. Many reviewers have compared us with both Änglagard and Anekdoten, we are a little surprised with the connection to Änglagard. Their technical expression is beyond us. Musical inspirations from the past: Purple, Zeppelin, Sabbath, Heep, Hendrix... Now: Scandinavian folk music, classical music, black/doom metal.
Daniel: I suppose that in a way our music belongs to the same genre as Anekdoten and Anglagard, but we never intended to make that kind of prog-rock, we only wanted to make atmospheric and contrast-filled music, we never really thought of a special kind of genre. But I must say it is an honour to be compared to those bands. Musical inspiration: from the past; Grieg, Ole Bull, Geir Tveit, Beethoven, Barclay James Harvest, Pink Floyd, Manfred Manns Earth Band, Camel, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, Eloy, Genesis, Van Der Graaf Generator, Third And The Mortal, My Dying Bride, Arcturus, Anathema, Mari Boine, Annbjørg Lien, Terje Rypdal, Anglagard, Anekdoten, Landberk, Radiohead, Muse. Present: All kinds of Nordic folk music, Riverside, Big Elf, La Maschera Di Cera, Opeth, Katatonia.
