Swedish folk supergroup Väsen celebrates 30 years with the release of a new album on April 19. The title “Rule of 3” refers to these three decades as well as their favorite time signature, shared by both polskas and waltzes, forms which which they often play. The band is a trio, forming of course a… Continue reading Vasen: Rule of 3
A handful of times in your life, you hear a band or a soloist who rocks your world. You hear the music on the radio or at a live show, or at a friend’s house, and you fall in love. Sometimes that song or that record will become a “gateway drug” to a whole new… Continue reading Väsen: Brewed
I’ve gushed about Väsen before. Forgive me for doing it again, but this trio of Swedish tallboys keeps getting better and better, if that’s possible. Their new record is called Mindset (NorthSide NSD6097). Superlatives seem inadeqaute to describe the music of Väsen. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen them live, swaying and sawing and smiling as… Continue reading Väsen: Mindset
The latest record from Seattle fiddler Ruthie Dornfeld is a wide-ranging collection of traditional folk tunes, originals, and early music titled “Duets Abroad.” Why not let Ruthie introduce it? Last year I traveled to Finland, Denmark, France and Hungary to record duets with some of my favorite European musicians: Petri Hakala, Tapani Varis, Pekka Pentikäinen,… Continue reading Ruthie Dornfeld: Duets Abroad (MP3)
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