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The Nordic Sound

Jameson Foster

94 episodes

3 weeks ago

Send us a text Please join me in welcoming the inimitable Mia Guldhammer to Nordic Sound #54. Performing with acts such as Virelai, Mallebrok, and now Guldganger, Mia has long made a name for herself as a passionate keeper and performer of the Scandinavian ballad tradition at Medieval markets and reenactments, as well as a celebrated vocalist in the Danish folk music scene. Mia takes us through her experience in both, diving deep into the enchanting world of medieval balladry, how we keep the...

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Music Commentary

Music Interviews

All content for The Nordic Sound is the property of Jameson Foster and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Send us a text Please join me in welcoming the inimitable Mia Guldhammer to Nordic Sound #54. Performing with acts such as Virelai, Mallebrok, and now Guldganger, Mia has long made a name for herself as a passionate keeper and performer of the Scandinavian ballad tradition at Medieval markets and reenactments, as well as a celebrated vocalist in the Danish folk music scene. Mia takes us through her experience in both, diving deep into the enchanting world of medieval balladry, how we keep the...

Show more...

Music Commentary

Music Interviews

Episodes (20/94)

The Nordic Sound

#48 - Olav Luksengård Mjelva

Send us a text Over the course of his career, Olav Mjelva has become something of a face of the Hardanger Fiddle, with his fiddle being heard in settings such as Rings of Power, God of War: Ragnarök, and Marvel’s Loki. As well as being featured in over 60 studio projects, he is also well known in the Scandifolk scene for his work with Sver, the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, Rydvall/Mjelva, and the Lodestar Trio. After collaborating with Einar Selvik and Ivar Bjornson for Skuggsjá, Olav has returned t...

1 month ago

1 hour 6 minutes

The Nordic Sound

Frigg, "Dreamscapes" - Album Review

Send us a text Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, Frigg have long established themselves as one of the leading string bands in Nordic folk. A small army of six musicians, what has always astounded me about the band is how effectively they use their numbers to their fullest capabilities, often times in their recordings sounding like there’s a full orchestra at their disposal. Their attention to orchestration and texture is second-to-none, and even when all three fiddles are chugging...

2 months ago

9 minutes

The Nordic Sound

#47 - Ale Carr of Dreamers' Circus

Send us a text A beautiful homecoming! Ale joins the channel once again from balmy California where Dreamers' Circus begin their 2025 U.S. tour to celebrate the release of their new album Handed On. In this conversation, Ale talks about the importance of music in bridging divides between cultures in tumultuous times, the Handed On project, and of course, that every present question of Nordic Folk music. Thank you so much for coming back around these parts, Ale. It's always a pleasure! C...

2 months ago

56 minutes

The Nordic Sound

#46 - Norwegian Classical Music with Ola Nordal

Send us a text This year, I made it a New Years' resolution for the channel that we'd finally start an honest effort in expanding the Nordic Sound into new and more diverse genres, and what better way to bring classical music back into the picture than by chatting with one of my favorite music writers. Join me in welcoming Ola Nordal (Ballade Klassisk, Store Norske Leksikon) to talk about Norway's contemporary classical scene, the practice of active listening, and writing about music. ...

2 months ago

1 hour

The Nordic Sound

#45 - Torulf on Musical Storytelling in Ristningar i Ginnungagap

Send us a text Nordicsoundarchive.com Fredrik returns to the Nordic Sound for his second appearance to talk about Torulf's recent record Ristningar i Ginnungagap and the stories that inspire his music. Along the way, we also talk about his earliest memories as a musician, how he became Torulf, and why it's difficult to keep up with new music. Thanks for hanging out, Fredrik! Support the show The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons over on Patreon.com/nordicsound The Nordic Sound is s...

2 months ago

1 hour 7 minutes

The Nordic Sound

#44 - Lassi Logrén on the Tagelharpa (Jouhikko) Tradition

Send us a text Jameson and Jouhikko virtuoso Lassi Logrén celebrate Finnish independence day by talking about the Jouhikko/Tagelharpa tradition, Finnish folk music, and the Tagelharpa renaissance we’re experiencing outside of traditional folk circles. We also talk about Lassi’s new solo album “Jouhikko”, why Lassi believes the instrument itself sounds human, and what we might gain from learning how to connect with solo instrumental albums on a personal, communal, and maybe even spiritual, lev...

2 months ago

1 hour 31 minutes

The Nordic Sound

#43 - Ville and Tommie

Send us a text Finnish/Swedish(/Cornish?) duo Ville & Tommie join me in Nordic Sound #43 to talk about their uniquely freeform approach to performing Nordic folk music as an accordion and fiddle duo and their debut album "Stuffed Pockets". Along the way, we talk about how the duo came to be, where they come from as individual musicians, and that tricky line across tradition and innovation we always have to dance as folk musicians. "Ville & Tommie play for concert and dance, blending ...

2 months ago

1 hour 9 minutes

The Nordic Sound

#42 (Part Two) - What is Nordic Folk Music?

Send us a text In part 2 of Nordic Sound #42, Jameson and Fredrik poke and prod at the thorny question of what folk music is, what makes something folk music, and what folk music means in a Nordic context with Fredrik contributing what he learned while writing and directing the documentary "Trollstemt". I've found these conversations are almost always had behind closed doors in hushed tones, but I think there's much to be gained by bringing it out from under the rug after hearing perspective...

2 months ago

42 minutes

The Nordic Sound

#42 - Trollstemt Documentary with Fredrik Akselsen

Send us a text Join me as I dive deep into the history of Norway's folk music tradition with Fredrik Akselsen, acclaimed director of the series "Trollstemt" - a documentary I had been keeping tabs on since Mattias Thedens of Gangar first promoted it last year. It's funny to think I hadn't the slightest idea that I'd end up having the director on the Nordic Sound for a chat, and for that, we all owe a hearty "tusen takk" to Ingrid Aune Falch of Songleikr for putting us in contact after our las...

2 months ago

54 minutes

The Nordic Sound

#41 - Songleikr with Maria Franz and Ingrid Auné Falch

Send us a textJameson is joined by Maria Franz and Ingrid Aune Falch to talk about Songleikr's history with Midgardsblot and how important storytelling is as a part of Songleikr's music (and folk music in general). After taking us through their history with "medieval music", we get into a rather difficult and provocative discussion about what Nordic folk even is, with Maria and Ingrid both offering extensive commentary on the growing misuse of the term over the years. This particular conversa...

5 months ago

1 hour 23 minutes

The Nordic Sound

#40 - Kjell Braaten

Send us a textIn Nordic Sound #40, Jameson is joined by Kjell Braaten to talk about Kjell’s approach to skaldic performance and his recent collaboration on the beautiful Lithuanian sutartines project with Stuba and Skaidra Jančaité as part of an ongoing mission to preserve and revitalize Lithuanian communal singing tradition. Key topics in this conversation include Kjell telling why skaldic tradition inspires him, how music is a form of active and communal remembering of the past, if vik...

6 months ago

1 hour 38 minutes

The Nordic Sound

#39 - Einar Selvik of Wardruna (Live at CU Boulder)

Send us a textIn this co-sponsored event between ByNorse and the University of Colorado Boulder's Ethnomusicology and Nordic Studies departments, Einar joins Jameson in front of a live audience to talk about the animist cosmology behind Wardruna's music, what animism means to Einar, how Wardruna's music has (or hasn't) changed over time, and an inevitable deep discussion about questions of authenticity and reconstructionism often nagging the reception of Wardruna's music. The interview conclu...

6 months ago

1 hour 2 minutes

The Nordic Sound

#38 - Mari Boine

Send us a textIn this monumental installment of the Nordic Sound, Jameson is joined by Mari Boine to reflect on her childhood, the rise and influence of her career through Gula Gula, how she has come to be an influential icon to so many around the world, and her place as a powerful voice for Sámi culture since the 1980s. Along the way, Mari explains what Joik means to her and how it relates to her belief that music has an ineffable power to remind us of our elemental humanity, while also...

7 months ago

1 hour 6 minutes

The Nordic Sound

#37 - Jonas Lorentzen of Nebala

Send us a textJonas Lorentzen returns to the Nordic Sound to discuss what Nebala's been up to since last time we met. In this conversation, we have a retrospective on the debut album, and where Jonas wants to take Nebala's sound and vision from there. We also discuss singing as community and Jonas' singing workshops, ponder why we don't sing as much as we used to, and of course, talk about the kickstarter that will be helping Nebala's next album now that Jonas has gone Indie. Oh, and would it...

7 months ago

1 hour 10 minutes

The Nordic Sound

#36 - Nils Edström of Hindarfjäll

Send us a text(#35 with Rúnahild is only available on Youtube due to unfortunate audio issues on my end)Today I am joined once again by Nils Edström, the man behind Hindarfjäll perhaps best known for his performance of My Mother Told Me with Peter Franzén from the Vikings television series. I’ve had Nils on before, but now he is back to talk about his latest album Seden which released almost a month ago to the day. In this interview, Nils talks about his trips to Italy and his experience...

8 months ago

1 hour 23 minutes

The Nordic Sound

#34 - Espen Winther of Eldrim

Send us a textIn this very special Nordic Sound Channel interview, I sit down with Espen Winther of Eldrim for an exclusive early look at the new record "Daudrastev" as we preview and discuss each track before the album releases. Espen has long been a vocal supporter of the channel, and it's truly been an honor to do this special collaboration in anticipation for both the new album release and the return to Midgardsblot. Cheers Espen, and thank you for trusting the channel with this cool...

9 months ago

1 hour 48 minutes

The Nordic Sound

[Album Review] Nordein, "Reisa"

Send us a textIn Nordein's newest offering, "Reisa", we're given a three-course meal teasing some new and old ideas to expect from the project in the future, taking us from the world of early 2000s "celtic" folk world of into a more contemporary dark folk sound by the EP's end. A short review for a short EP - let's talk about it!"Nordein, fronted by Norwegian musician and producer Jørn Øyhus, blends Nordic folk with rich, evocative sounds. Known for his work with Nordjevel, Varde, and Byrdi, ...

9 months ago

7 minutes

The Nordic Sound

Album Review: Floating Sofa Quartet, "Kystnaert"

Send us a textOne of my favorite groups in the Nordic folk scene today is finally back, joined by the wonderful Norwegian hardanger fiddler Gura Kvifte Neisheim for the new maritime record "Kystnaert"This has been my most anticipated album of the summer, and for good reason. I fell deeply in love with this group back in 2016 with their incredible "The Moon We Watch Is the Same" due to the fresh, exciting, and organic nature of their sound and original instrumentation which continued through "...

10 months ago

8 minutes

The Nordic Sound

Bülows Kvartett - "Vad än som i världen händer" [Album Review]

Send us a textLet's dive into the debut album from a daring new folk/jazz quartet from Sweden.Support the show

10 months ago

12 minutes

The Nordic Sound

Eivør, "Enn" - Album Review

Send us a textA new kind of album review on the Nordic Sound Channel. And what better way to return to the grind than with a new release from one of my favorite Nordic singers, Eivør.Patreon.com/nordicsoundchannel"Eivør calls her Nordic home in the remote Faroe Islands a landscape of extremes. Sitting in the North Atlantic Ocean just above Scotland and southeast of Iceland, with a total population of about 50,000, the climate is “full of contrasts—very dark, heavy winters and bright summers.”...

10 months ago

19 minutes