Sugar Plum Fairies

"Sugar Plum Fairies" is a folk band from Norway formed in 2000, consisting of six members: Øyvind Berge (vocals/guitars/bass/pitch-pipe/backing vocals), Merethe Jørgensdottir Reinskås (guitar/piano/trumpet/accordion), Birgith Jørgensdottir Reinskås (keyboards/euphonium), Gro Elisabeth Valebørg (trumpet/keyboards), Torbjørn Strånd (bass/drums/percussion) and Tor Christian Tovslid (drums). Valebjørg, Tovslid and Strånd have later quit the band to pursue other interests.

The band plays pop-music leaning heavily on the folk music tradition of their native Telemark and its immediate surroundings, using folk instruments like the Norwegian harding fiddle and accordion alongside more "poppy" instruments like guitar and piano. Brass instruments like trumpet and euphonium are also a vital part of the band's soundscape. These aspects also come into display concerning their vocal performance. The band perform their own material in their native dialect. In addition, Norwegian artists like Odd Nordstoga, Hellbillies, a-ha, Brazz Bros and deLillos are cited as major influences by the band, as are The Beatles and Pink Floyd. For their first release (released in December 2005), they have put music to the poems of their fellow villageman Haakon Lie. Lie, in turn, was son of the renowned author and poet John Lie from Fyresdal, who won a lot of supporters both in Norway and among Scandinavian immigrants in the Midwest. Haakon Lie himself was a well-known writer in Norway and was a member of the Norwegian Society of Authors ("Forfatterforeningen").

Sugar Plum Fairies' first album is entitled "Fivrelddans" ( meaning butterfly dancing). It has received several good reviews and some airplay both in Norway and abroad, scoring a minor Norwegian radio hit with "Andre Dugurdskvildi"". In 2006 Paul Bernard (Sleire), Norwegian rapper, hip-hop artist & producer, sampled the band's song "Jolekveld" and the collaboration "Depend"" was released under the banner "Paul Bernard feat. Sugar Plum Fairies". The release is an Internet exclusive and is part of Paul Bernard's album ""Unfinished bizniz - a collection of dreams and grey stones".

The band was awarded the Fyresdal Municipality Culture Award for 2006 for their debut album. In 2008 the band was picked out to be a part of October Party Records' compilation album "Norwegian Wood Music For China vol.5"

Discography

* 2005 Fivrelddans - Haakon Lie i ord og tonar (Spun Sugar Records)
* 2006 Depend (Påls kjøkken)("Paul Bernard feat. Sugar Plum Fairies") (Internet only release)
* 2008 Norwegian Wood Music For China vol.5 (October Party Records) (Released exclusively in China)

Awards

* 2006 "The Fyresdal Municipality Culture Award"

See also

* [http://www.myspace.com/fivrelddans Sugar Plum Fairies on MySpace]
* [http://bloggenokkos.blogspot.com The Band's Own Blog]
* [http://www.diskografi.no/band.asp?id=1698 Sugar Plum Fairies in Norwegian Records Database]
* [http://www.ta.no/pulsen/Musikk/cd/article1909459.ece Review of Fivrelddans]
* [http://www.groove.no/html/review/42951376.html Review of Fivrelddans]
* [http://www.ta.no/pulsen/Musikk/article1865029.ece Article about Sugar Plum Fairies]
* [http://www.myhome.com/paulbernard Paul Bernard] , page with music downloads
*Odd Nordstoga, musician from Vinje in Telemark, Norway.
*Fyresdal, municipality in the county of Telemark, Norway

External links

* [http://www.nordstoga.no/ Odd Nordstoga homepage]
* [http://www.largostudio.net/ Largostudio] , recording studio at Rjukan, Telemark
* [http://www.bandindex.no/info.cfm/6929 Sugar Plum Fairies in Norwegian Bandindex]