The Power of the Gospel
The album is actually as near to finished as it has ever been… All that's left is some vocal parts, and then the mixing.
We wanted to do some kind of a b-side, or a bonus track if you will, and we wanted to make it something a little special.
So we picked a song we hold dear, "The Power of the Gospel", by Ben Harper.
Next we invited a whole group of vocalists that we like, to come sing with us.
It was a blast, we really can't wait for you to hear it…
In the meantime, here are some photos and a teaser video of the event. To see more film from the fun night we spent in the studio, check out our Fanpage!
Thanks to our friends and lovely singers Elise Vatsvaag, Erik Røe, Trond Eltervaag, Birger Bekkeheien aka Hovering Orville, Christer Wulff, Endre Jordal and Uri the man!
Trond Eltervaag, Erik Røe & Endre Jordal singing on our record
Photo: Karina Gytre
Producer Ashley "The Machine" Stubbert
Photo: Karina Gytre
Nice peeps
Photo: Karina Gytre
Birger Bekkeheien aka Hovering Orville
Photo: Karina Gytre
Christer Wulff stopped by
Photo: Karina Gytre
Travelling Edwards
Jackets and cases...
A nice weekend and more
This weekend we took some time off from the recording studio and hit the road.
First stop was Røvær. We've been there once before, see previous blogpost to read more about the little island.
Beautiful place and beautiful people!
We had a great time,doing our thing as a supporting act for Pål Angelskår from Minor Majority. That guy writes some good songs, I'll tell you...
Cheers to all the great people at Røvær!
Then we sat off to Sandnes, to play at the event Vågen Basar. The occasion was the jubilee of Sandnes City being 150 years. All evening there was a bazaar, with lots of great local art, food and drinks. I especially recommend the Aronia juice… Check it out here …. Good for you!
There was also a bunch of local artists, such as ourselves, playing.
Then home for some rest before we head out again… Tonight (Monday) we're playing at the ONS kickoff thing, and Tuesday playing a concert for students at NKF…
Good times!
GladMat Festival July 2010
Noise at the library
Stavanger Aftenblad kom og besøkte oss da vi spilte på Musikkbiblioteket:
Les saken; www.aftenbladet.no
Pulpit Rock
The excellent photographer Espen Mills recently spent 24 hours at the Pulpit Rock taking over five thousand pictures. He made this time-lapse video of it.
The scenery and the nature truly is amazing. If you haven't been to the Pulpit Rock, we strongly recommend a trip. Martin has been up there a couple of times, and Kristian only dragged his feet up last summer. It's a good hike :)
To accompany the pictures in this video Mills put in our song "Time", taken from our first EP, "Summerrain", released in April 2008.
On this track there's a beautiful pedal steel, played by Øyvind Berekvam. In addition to being a great pedal steel player, Berekvam also has a very good music blog.
Check it out here! (It's in norwegian though…)
Anyhows, here's the video.
Another weekend, another playlist!
Here are some new and old favorite songs!
The Weekly Playlist Once Again
Have an awesome weekend!
Martin & Kristian
Taking a break
Inside the C3 organ. Thanks to Ådne Sæverud for letting us use it!
Now we've been in the studio working for two weeks.
All of the basic tracks are done, the great Thomas Torstrup came in and played organs and pianos, and it sounds great!
That Hammond C3 is one nice organ…
Now we only have some vocals left to do.
But before we do that, we are going to get ourselves some rest.
You know, let the songs breathe for a while. Maybe just enjoy the summer (and the World Cup) a little bit more.
Go to our Fanpage for just a little tease listening sample of what we have done this far!
Discussing the parts
Thomas Torstrup doing the organ - A nice C3
Martin singing his heart out
Back In The Studio
It was a good session at the cabin, we managed to record all of the basic tracks.
We've got thirteen songs to work on, not yet decided how many to put on the album.
It has been both an inspiring and hard turn, with long hours of work over a long period of time, trying to accomplish and fulfill this vision we are having of what we want these songs to be.
Our drum 'n' bass section Torje and Øystein has been doing a terrific job, we are super pleased. And Ashley "The Machine" Stubbert really takes us to next level. Thanks to A-man for making us sound so good!
We also want to thank mr. Eirik Bekkeheien for the use of his equipment! Sweet!
We are excited about the songs, and the whole record is coming together nicely. It's almost like we can't wait to have it released.
It might be a bit early to say, but it looks like this album will be a bit darker sounding and more "edgy" than the two previous EP's. We think that's a good thing. There will be some nice mellow songs, and also some more up tempo, almost like rock 'n' roll tunes.
Hopefully we get to share it with you soon!
Now we're back in Stavanger, ready to do vocals… Work, work, but fun, fun!
This Sunday, July 4., we'll be playing a matine concert in Foajeen at Stavanger konserthus.
If you happen to be in Stavanger, come see our show. It starts at 13.00 and it is free!
Take care for now,
Martin & Kristian
Exhausted and Happy
Frisk ungdom!
Happy and tired brothers, getting ready to pack up and leave! It has indeed been a beautiful week, magic and sounds has been made.
A bigger report, reflections and listening samples will be posted soonish. Now; pack - home - sleep...
Take care, have a great weekend.
Amps
Thanks to Stone, the guitarist from The Getaway People, for lending us his superb 1963 Vox AC30.
Mics
Ready for electric guitars!
Soon leaving
Vi er snart klar til å reise fra Suleskard, litt elektrisk gitar har vi igjen å gjøre.
Se Martin dele noen tanker om oppholdet og innspillingen så langt.
Computer trouble!
Yesterday we experienced our first real problem… Just as we were about to start recording the awesome guitars, the computer that runs the recording software and all, suddenly started acting crazy!
Brown-outs or whatever you want to call it… It kept on restarting itself and we couldn't get anything done…
So we had to take a little break, call all our friends to see if someone could take a drive from Stavanger with a new computah..
Luckily, this fantastic dude called Birk had planned on driving to Oslo and hey, Suleskard is on the way to Oslo. Nice.
He was happy and kind to pick up another computer and bring it to us.
He of course got hugs, coffee and an apple in reward.
Thanks a bunch, Birk!
Meanwhile, during the break, we climbed up the roof top to relax in the sun…
We got inspired and played this little song… It's a song called "Anybody Seen My Girl" and it's written by Martin and two other great songwriters called Ove Svendsen and Lena Anderssen.
Nice…
Ove has a band called The Owens. Check them out!
Great stuff. Great people.
Making Progress
We're making progress, taking the time to discuss different approaches to the songs.
As we were about to record the song Not Better To Go Suddenly we had some problems cracking it… The song has been released before, on the Summerrain EP, but we wanted to do it again. Partly because we weren't quite happy with the performance, and partly because we think it's a good song and it really is an important and meaningful song to us.
Up and at 'em
Getting ready for a day of recording guitars
It's Wednesday, the sun is shining, and we're ahead of schedule. Did you think we were given a break? Oh no…
With Ashley "The Machine" Stubbert on the team there's hard work around the clock…. But it's all good, we like it!
The drums are done, finished eleven tracks… It actually sounds awesome! It's the room that does it, the cabin we're at has a spacious living room with great ceiling height. We think this room sound will be somewhat of a signature sound to the whole record….
We get to watch just a little bit of the World Cup (during meals), laughing at the ridiculous French team and cheering for Maradona's boys! Go Messi!
Speaking of meals, Kristian the chef is cooking us delicious food, keeping us happy!
On the menu we've had Entrecote, Scampi and Garlic Chicken…
Do you need a great recipe for Port Wine Sauce? You'll find at our Fanpage…
Are we having any problems you ask? Actually, there has been very few…
Only thing is the mosquitos…. And a flock of sheep wanting to join us, and so hey, we let them play the bells……
Maybe they'll make it on to the record…
Oh well, gotta go, there's work to do…. Ready for guitar tracks!!!
Take care folks!
All love.
Three Songs In One Day
Media coverage!
Here`s an article on Poor Edwards mountain adventure from Rogalands Avis ( in Norwegian):
http://www.rogalandsavis.no/puls/article5166830.ece
Status day 4:
Seven basic tracks done, on to the next... The Norwegian mountain-sound is coming along nicely....
And then, coffee..
Browser trouble
Hei folks,
there might be a problem accessing the Fanpage if you're using Firefox.
If you want to access our Fanpage area, but can't find the button that's supposed to be at the top right corner on this page,
try using Safari or something else than Firefox. The issue should be solved within a couple of days though...
Still going strong at the cabin,
all love
Martin & Kristian
These Are The Times!
We've been in Sirdal for a couple of days now, feels like weeks already… Time flies when you're having fun and are working hard…
The basic tracks, that'd be drums and bass, of four songs has been recorded and we are happy!
Kristian is cooking us great food, we get to watch a little of the World Cup and tomorrow we might just go hiking…
We are all happy and excited, and no one has started a fight. Yet…
To see more from our stay at the Highlands, to hear some songs and watch Kristian cooking, please do register on our Fanpage…
You will find the button / link on the top right corner….
Oh, The Place Of Magic!
First day of recording, the Suleskard Highland Sessions… We've spent the first day setting up, making sounds and getting in the mood…
We managed to put one song to tape, it all sounds really good… The cabin is great, there's a nice atmosphere and the whole crew is ready for good times!
Sweetness, I tell you!
The Highlands!
Ashley and Torje discussing important things
The violins
Ekte hyttekos
Where else...?
Kristian taking a breath
Øystein all set up
Hyttebart
Sirdal Is Where The Magic Is
We're off to Sirdal, gonna spend a week at a cabin on top of Suleskard.
We'll be hanging out, go fishing, go for long walks, read lots of books, do some barbecuing….
Ah, life!
Maybe we'll record some songs as well...
Magic will happen, sounds will be made, the next Poor Edward album is in the making!
We are stoked!!!
We will give updates along the way, so check back anytime!
LaivLaiv!
Playing Musikkfest Stavanger
Last weekend we did a nice little three-day tour, together with our friend Depui.
We started in Kristiansand on Thursday, where we played a nice venue called Frk Larsen. Sweet, sweet audience!
Then, on Friday we had a long drive from Kristiansand to lovely Etne. In Etne we were to do a show at Fugl Fønix Hotel together with Hanne Sørvaag and Tobias Stenkjær. That was a great gig with a lot of nice people, and after the show we all put on our dancing shoes... Yeah! We tried to find the time to go swimming aswell, but we didn't... Next time!
On Saturday we headed back to Stavanger and played at Musikkfest. It was really a fun day and a good gig. We got to try out some new songs with the band for the first time. We think it was a success!
And so we all agreed it had been a lovely trip. Luckily we got through this tour without crashing any cars, no one got sick, no one got robbed or nothing... That's a first!
Now we're going back to rehearsals and preparations for the upcoming recording sessions... Updates to come, check the Fanpage for more info!
Instant Tour Blog Report
Live and direct from the road! We're in the car, on our way from Kristiansand to Etne to play at Fugl Fønix Hotel. Great!
The weather is good and we're listening to Beck. It's all good.
Skoda Superb works as a tour van... It's a rental!
The Studio Progress!
The other day we spent a couple of days rehearsing with the studio band. The songs are coming together nicely and we are stoked about recording this album.
We are going away to a cabin in Sirdal to record for a couple of weeks, bringing all the equipment to set up a small studio. To back us on the record we are happy to have Torje Fanebust Ås playing the bass and Øystein Tengesdal playing the drums. Thomas Torstrup will do the piano and organ parts, and mr. Ashley Stubbert will produce the whole of it.
Here's a little taste of some of the songs... For more songs and more updates on the recording progress go to the Fanpage and register!
Playlist Of The Week!
Here we go again, with a nice soundtrack to the first week of summer!
Poor Edwards Playlist Of The Week
Have an amazing week folks!
Poor Edward Reaching New Zealand!
By chance and good fortune a copy of our EP Soldiers & Sundays reached the shores of New Zealand.It was picked up by the author of a music blog, and he wrote some nice words about us!
Check it out here:
Soldiers & Sundays can be purchased on iTunes
The story of Røvær
A little while ago we went to Røvær to spread the gospel of Poor Edward. Røvær is a small island outside Haugesund, with the total amount of 114 inhabitants.
We were invited by Røvær Rockclub to play at the only hotel on the island. Very nice! Check it out here. It's worth a trip, I tell you!
The little community of Røvær also has a tragic story. In 1899, an accident occured that made Røvær renowned throughout Norway. A funeral party of about 30 men was returning from the mainland when their boat capsized. 12 wives and even more children were left without their father and husband. It is said that every house on the island lost at least one family member.
But the strong community made it through the tragedy and Røvær rose once again!
It is truly a beautiful place, and we will definitely go back soon!
We made this little documentary of our expedition.
List of the week
Yes, we thought we would share with you some of the songs we like. We collect them in a Spotify playlist. If you dont have a subscription for Spotify you should get it! It's a good way to listen to, share and discover new music. Really! We both agree that Spotify is slightly better than the norwegian alternative Wimp.
We'll post a weekly playlist of a few songs we've been appreciating and would like to share. We'll try anyways...!
So here it is. Enjoy!
Poor Edwards Playlist Of The Week
Martin & Kristian
Edward Mordrake
We sometimes get the question "why Poor Edward?" We always answer the same... And the truth is that there is no profound reason for it. The reason is actually quite simple. We like the name. And of course, because we love Tom Waits. Though you probably wont hear it in our music, Tom Waits is a major inspiration. It's just something about the whole concept of Tom Waits, the voice, the songs and the stories he tells... Also the fact that he all through his long career has been able to develop his artistic expression. Well, perhaps you could hear some influence in some of our songs from "Closing Time", that's a great record! To name a favourite Tom Waits record seems to be an impossible task, so we wont...
Anyways, Tom Waits once wrote a song called Poor Edward. The song is based on a tale, supposedly true, about Edward Mordrake. Edward, a man of noble heritage from 19th century England, had an extra face on the back of his head.
According to the story, the extra face could neither eat nor speak, but it could laugh and cry. It was both evil and twisted. Edward begged doctors to have his "devil twin" removed, because, supposedly, it whispered horrible things to him at night, but no doctor would attempt to remove it. He committed suicide at the age of 23. Check thehumanmarvels.com for more about this tale...
We think this is quite a remarkable story, and since the song is beautiful, the title sounds kool, and Tom Waits is such an inspiration, we thought «Poor Edward» would be the perfect name for our band...
Here's a nice video made to the track...
The great place that is Cafe Mir!
We did a gig at Cafe Mir recently. Gotta tell you, it was good. There was a great audience, relaxed atmosphere and some very kind people working there. Mir is a part of Lufthavna, and is located on Grünerløkka, Oslo. If you're ever in the neighbourhood, you should stop by for a coffee.
Here's a little video of our performance, it's the song "Keepin' track". It's a song about "cleaning out the closet" and maybe replace them skeletons you've got hidden in there... The song is supposed to go on the album, but it's gonna be slightly different as we've been working out some new parts and new lyrics for it....
Anyhow, here is what it sounded like at Mir... Recorded with the awesome mic from our camera!
Photo Shoot!
Here's a little preview of a photo shoot we did recently. We wanted to do some cool, old school pics and we also wanted to shoot some pics in our favourite bar, Cardinal, and maybe the best bar in Stavanger, Cardinal. It has great furniture, nice carpets and curtains, cool windows and an awesome bar! Just a really great atmosphere. Cardinal also have the best selection in beer, probably in all of Norway. If you haven't been there you should go! Try "Old Tom", strong Ale. It's a great one!
The shoot was done by Erik Jørgensen. He's a great guy and a fantastic photographer! Check out his work here: Nufsaid.no
Poor Edward Shoot March 21st 2010 from Erik_nufsaid on Vimeo.
Something for the weekend...
Well, the cold and the snow just wont seem to let go... Eagerly waiting for some warm and sunny days... Ah, the spring! Soon dear friends, soon... :-)
In the meantime, we want to share some beautiful songs we've been listening to lately... This is a Spotify playlist, hope you've got it. If not, get it! :-)
Poor Edwards "Something for the weekend"
Have a great weekend!
Martin & Kristian
Some old photos!
Hadde en aldri så liten opprydning her om dagen, og kom over noen gode gamle bilder... Tenkte at det måtte jo være noe å dele på bloggen...
Behind the scenes
Here's a little video we did from the recording of our "Soldiers and Sundays EP", done in ArtBeat Studio. Ålgård represent! It' a real nice studio, with a real nice guy, Bjørn Erik Sørensen, working as a tech / producer...
It' kind of a premiere for us, a test run if you will... Hope you like it.... And we hope our video producing skills will improve...
The song, Sunday Morning, is a track we wrote together with Arne Hovda, and it's really about the lovely feeling of a lazy sunday... When you have no plans, lots of time and you can enjoy your coffee and just close your eyes and let go of all your worries.... Something like that..
Planning the new year!
Looks like 2010 is gonna be a busy and good year!
We'we got plans for our new album, currently we're writing songs and recording demos. We havent really decided yet when and where the recording will take place, but we'll tell you all about it in due time! We'we also got plans for a new music video and touring!
Exciting times!
Our new home!
Welcome to our new home! Through this blog we will provide you with all the latest updates from Poor Edward.
We'll post pics and videos, new songs now and then, and give you a chance to follow our journey!
