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Woo

Don't Hide Underground

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Don't Hide Underground

"Don't Hide Underground" is the first song from a larger piece/concept album called "The Book Of Parallel Worlds" I will try to present the entire album over the next months here. 

I remember vividly the day I presented this song to my band "Woo".
The whole band had just moved to Bergen (from our small hometown, Ørsta) and was looking for a rehearsal space, as several shows were coming up.
Our good friend and manager Hans Petter Ulstein, invited us to use his
dorm room for practice, which required the crazy plan of building new plaster walls (with isolation and all) over the excising walls. And further cover them with acoustic carpets. After the build, we rehearsed there for a rough week, before we had to take down the walls again.

This was just a glimpse into the madness to come in the following years in the quest for a music career. 
(With the mindset: If you want it bad, you have to be the craziest of them all). 

This is also a good time to give credit to Hans Petter Ulstein and his great involvement in the band. He was responsible for media, marketing, web presence, as well as show logistics (and much more).
I think of him as a key member in our band. We simply would not have accomplished the things we did, without him. 

Much of the work on the concept album "The Book Of Parallel Worlds" was started on many years before this song was sorted out, but concepts like these has a tendency to change over time anyway. Many of these projects took so long to finish, that I'm actually quite hesitant (or embarrassed)  to give any clues on how bloody long actually it took me. 

 

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For Once

For Once

This song was a regular for 6-7 years with my band Woo at rehearsals. However, it was rarely played at live shows, because I felt that it was too punk or hardcore, our repertoire was pretty hard hitting as it was at the time, and it didnt need more of this type of energy. 

The main theme was created long before this, and I originally envisioned the song to be less hard, distorted and slower, but songs evolve over the years. 
I even have an acoustic flamenco arrangement that was considered for the release.
But since this is a 5-year long musical biography, it had to be this version, which is closest to, how it was played for so many years.
The acoustic version might be released at a later stage though. 

On the session with me

Geir Arne Ose: Acoustic drums
 

The Song Of Woo

The Song Of Woo

This is one of the first bunch of songs I composed for the band Woo. 

The song was composed around 93 and was a "hit" during live shows. We used to open concerts with this song.  

I remember the first time we played it at a festival in neighboring town Volda, people were screaming almost Beatles style. (Ok, they were still sitting down and not fainting) but can you imagine what that did to a young ambitious boy like me?

It was one of the first times I experienced immediate response from the audience  after playing only for seconds.

 I've probably said it before, but around 92' I  promised myself that I would not ever write a song that I wouldn't  stand 100% for in the future. 

This came from playing in several bands that was more into emulating the newest trends than to be innovative.

It was a bold statement, and a huge goal. I knew that. But I was never afraid of aiming high, and attitude is so important that it is almost the whole point in art. 

So when it comes down to it 20 years after this goal, do I still like the music I composed as a child? Am I proud of it? Do I stand 100% for everything? Really everything?

Yes, and it amazes me. That is why I started this project.

 

My whole philosophy around the music and this project is much bigger than this hugely oversimplified statement though (or this blog). But I hope I'll be able to explain some of it in the future (without boring you all to death).

 

Live in Volda 1994.

From left: Bård Kvalsund, Stig Sandbakk, Geir Satre and Audun Havåg.

TV Song

TV Song

This is another song with a long background

Originally composed in 93-94

The chord and riff structure for most of the song was used in a  song called "The Other Side"

It was an "all acoustic" piece with three guitars, bass and some percussion.

It was a standard on our repertoire back then. 

I rediscovered parts of it on tapes while researching for the Ninth "Evolver" album in 01-02 and made a totally different arrangement out of it, with different lyrics, melodies and chorus. 

There are four different arrangements and recordings of this song.

 

On the session with me:

Drums:  Bjørn Tore Kronen Taranger and Geir Arne Ose

 


The Ninth Evolver crew, backstage at the release party/concert for "Evolver EP". (at Garage, Bergen)

Hans Petter Lie-Nielsen, Audun Havåg, Geir Arne Ose, Geir Satre, Per Helge Lande, Andrew Scheps and Stein Hevrøy

Original article here