Vinskvetten

Vinskvetten (previously known as Salhusvinskvetten (The Salhus Dash of Wine)) is a band/review group formed in 1975. The group is based in Salhus, Åsane in the north of Bergen, Norway. The band started as a parody on another band from the same town, Salhuskvintetten. In 1983 they made a TV-program called "Livet i Rothålå", but this was soon forgotten.

"Rothålå" have followed Vinskvetten all the time, and they take up problems concerning this town. The band's maybe best known song is "Fergebilletøren" which is a song about "Peder", a ticketvendor on a ferry. Vinskvetten sings on a typical dialect from Northern Hordaland (In the west of Norway) and use many "old" words. They try to uphold and continue the culture of West Norway.

Famous personages in the songs

*Bertel
*Belbert
*Hallstein
*Peder is known for the song "Fergebilletøren" where he is the ticketvendor on the local ferry and he has a big problem with calculating the ticket prices.
*Ingolf Kvamme. This personage has his own song dedicated to him. Ingolf were not accepted in "Råthåla", until he got a bicycle. This changed his life and he could do all types of stunts on it. Ingolf died after losing his glasses and cycling over the dock in Salhus after riding down "brattebakkjen" (the steep hill). He is also referred to in the song "Dans på Grasdal", where he passed out after drinking four units.
*Ronny Bruvik also has a song about himself. Ronny is a typical bully who beat up the children at his school.
*Smed Ola was a blacksmith who also has one song dedicated to him, "Smed - Ola Løå", which is the only song not supposed to be funny. (Smed- Ola Løå is transelated to English: Ola the smiths barn"
*Kåre is a man without many friends who had a strong relationship with his pig Galte. He didn't realize Galte was his best friend until a truck took him away to the slaughterhouse.
*Bror'n te Kårn (Kåre's brother). We don't know his name, but he first appears in the song "Dans på Grasdal" where he bought the beer. Then he appears on "No e' da helg" where he, instead of buying beer, buys "medicine" to get high on.
*Anna, an angry wife. Who appears in the song Ho'Anna Ho'Anna. Violent and angry with her drunken husband.
*The dentist. A rather unorthodox dentist who uses chisel and hammer, drill and dynamite instead of what ever "instruments of torture" other dentists use.

Members

*Bjørn Jensen alias "Bertel" – guitar and vocals
*Gunnar Låstad alias "Ruball" – bass and vocals
*Arild Totland alias "Belbert" – drums and vocals
*Jarle Farestveit alias "Hallstein" – accordion and vocals
*Øyvind Østerbø alias "Øyvind" – guitar and vocals
*Gunnar Polden – light and sound technichan.

The band has been like this since 1986.

Discography

*1988 "Platå" Sold 25,000 (Gold record in Norway!)
*1991 "På Helså Laus" Sold 25,212 copies (Gold record in Norway!)
*1994 "På Nye Eventy" Sold 15,353 copies
*1997 "Rånnyen og Kveitebollen" Sold 32,402 copies (Gold record in Norway!)
*2000 "Dei Beste" Sold 19,800 copies
*2002 "Du Sa Det Va Forbi Bi Bi..." Sold 12,162 copies
*2005 "Stapp Mett" Sold 7,000 copies

External links

* [http://www.kjentfolk.no/musikere/vinskvetten/ Vinskvettens official page (In Norwegian)]
* [http://www.ballade.no/nmi.nsf/printstory/art2006053109363759058823 Ballade.no article]