THE NORSEMAN COMPANY - THE COMING OF THE CHORD
The story behind THE ALBUM:
THE PERSONNEL.
(As told by drummer/songwriter Geir Arne Dale)
As a drummer only, I had to get some people to help me out on this of course and I was very lucky indeed!
The album was recorded by producer, Hallgeir Rustan at STARGATE STUDIOS in Trondheim.
I started out with a lot of names that I planned to use on different songs, but after a while I found out that it was hard for a lot of them to fit this project into their schedule.
THIS IS THE "COMPANY" that made it happen:
JARL IVAR ANDRESEN - Guitars and bass -
To get it going, Hallgeir suggested that we hired one guy to do all the guitars and bass on the songs. He had a great guy in mind that was some kind of a go-to-guy for Hallgeir when he needed guitar- and bass work. His name was Jarl Ivar Andresen.
Exept from the rhythm guitars on one song and three guitar solos, Jarl Ivar is the guy playing all rhythm- and solo guitars and bass on the album.
Jarl Ivar lives in Trondheim, Norway, is a well sought after studio- and live musician, and I could not be more satisfied with the job he did! He was downright awesome!!
ROWAN ROBERTSON - Guitar solo / talkbox on "Gimme Some Rock And Roll" -
(Ex Dio / currently Raiding The Rock Vault)
Rowan Robertson has always been a favorite guitar player of mine. I remember when he became, only 17 years old, a part of Ronnie James Dio`s band. I was very impressed. I was listening to the LOCK UP THE WOLVES album that he recorded with Dio a lot and after that album, Rowan also went on tour with Dio.
I am proud to have him on my album! Rowan recorded the guitar solo and did the talk-box effect on the song GIMME SOME ROCK AND ROLL. We had the song sent to his studio in Las Vegas, US and he recorded it and returned it. He was very professional and a pure joy to work with!
I am very proud to have Rowan Robertson as a special guest on this album and to be able to call him my friend!
Check out Rowan Robertson here:
Rowan Robertson/Raiding The Rock Vault
TOR ERIK MYHRE - Guitar solo on "Stone In My Shoe" -
(Ex JORN / currently Wild Willy`s Gang)
Tor Erik has recorded and toured with Norwegian hard rock master, JORN, and I have known Tor Erik for some years now. I have wanted to do something together with him for a long time but the time was never right...until now!. Tor Erik is a great guitar player and he came well prepared to Jue Joint Studios in Notodden, Norway, and he recorded the guitar solo for the song Stone In My Shoe. A classic "Myhre-solo"! I love it! He is currently the guitar player of legendary drummer Willy Bendiksen`s band, WILD WILLY`s GANG.
Check out some of Tor Erik`s work here: Tor Erik myhre on YouTube
ÅGE STEN NILSEN - All vocals on "Master Of The Dark" and "Loud & Proud" -
(Wig Wam / Ammunition)
We were about to finish the album and I was missing vocals on two songs. At the same time (this was under the pandemic) Åge was in Stargate Studios with producer Hallgeir Rustan to record some sol stuff. Hallgeir played "Master f The Dark" and "Loud & Proud" to Åge and he loved them and said he`d be happy ro sing on them! That was good luck as t turned out great of course! Åge is one of Norways finest singers and I could not be more happy to have his voice on two of my songs! Now, he has recorded a brand new album with Wig Wam and they are also going on a massive tour around the world.
Check out Åge Sten Nilsen and Wig Wam here: WIG WAM OFFICIAL
PEER TARALDSEN -All guitars on "Dirt Nelly" -
(Peer Gynt)
When wanting to re-record this song I had only one name in mind: Peer Taraldsen! Peer is one of Norway`s finest blues rock guitarists and has been recording albums and touring the world for decades. He has shared stage and toured with people and bands like Walter Trout, Canned Heat, Manfred Mann, Ana Popovic, Ten Years After and numerous more! Peer is still an active recording artist and live performer.
Peer came into Stargate Studios and blew me away with his blistering guitar playing and his phenomenal personality!
Check out Peer Gynt here: PEER GYNT ONLINE.
BENTE SMAAVIK - Background vocals on "Here Comes Rock And Roll" and "In This Neighborhood" -
(Four Jets / Blonde On Blonde / Perfect Crime)
I have been a fan of Bente Smaavik since the eighties, when I saw her live several times with her bands Blonde On Blonde and Perfect Crime. She has relased several albums, have worked with people like Bernie Marsden and has toured the world as back up singer for Norwegian hard rock legends TNT. Bente is Norway`s Queen Of Rock and I am very proud to have her voice on the album!
Check out Bente Smaavik here: BENTE SMAAVIK ON SPOTIFY.
JOSTEIN ALMÅSBRO - Lead vocals on "When The Hammer Falls", "Gimme Some Rock And Roll" and "One Step Behind".
(Hollywood Scandal)
Jostein is a great singer and a very sought after studio singer. He has his own band Hollywood Scandal and beside that he also do a lot of background singing. He has worked and are still working with Norwegian legends like Stage Dolls, Dag Ingebrigtsen and numerous others.
In addition to the three songs he sing lead on, he also did background vocals wherever needed on the album.
RUDI REMME - Lead vocals on "Since You`ve Been Gone" and "Stone In My Shoe".
(Rudi Remme)
I was very lucky getting Rudi on this album. At one time in the process with the album, I was looking for a singer to one of the rock songs on the album. I placed an ad on Facebook saying singer wanted and I got seven or eight replies. Rudi was one of them. He was very polite in his email and although he might not be what I was looking for in that specific ad, he thought he should give it a try... When listening to his voice from the song he had enclosed with the email, it took me about ten seconds to take the focus from the rock song and over to the ballad "Since You`ve Been Gone". He just has to sing that song! I thought. He also sang on "Stone In My Shoe" and he was perfect for this! Especially "Since You`ve Been Gone" has worked out great and the song has now, as I write this, close to 300.000 plays on Spotify alone...and counting! Rudi is a singer/songwriter and is working on his first album. If you can catch him live, do it! You will not be disappointed! Check out Rudi Remme here: RUDI REMME ON SPOTIFY
MAGNE VIKRA -Lead vocals on "Here Comes Rock And Roll" and "In his Neighborhood" -
(Magne Vikra)
Magne was also one of the guys sending me tapes from the Facebook ad. I was very lucky that he sent that tape because his voice was perfect for the opening song! He also sang "In This Neighborhood" and even though those songs are very different, he had no problems doing them both. Magne is a great singer and a great guy! He also write and releases songs from time to time and you can listen to it here: MAGNE VIKRA ON SPOTIFY.
JO HENNING KAASIN -Electric guitars / lead guitar on "Since You`ve Been Gone" -
(Ex Come Taste The Band / currently KAASIN)
I know Jo Henning well. He live just 10 minutes from where I live and I have always admired his work. With Come Taste The Band he played alongside legends like Glenn Hughes, Joe Lynn Turner, Graham Bonnet, Bernie Marsden, Doughie White and Jorn. After 20 years of CTTB he now are running Norwegian classic rock band KAASIN. They have released their debut album "Fired Up" and are currently touring.
I needed a special solo on this song...Since You`ve Been Gone" needed the kind of solo where the guitar keep singing the song when the singer stops. I don`t know many gutar players, except Jo Henning, that can do that actually and I could not have been more happy with the solo he recorded for "Since You`ve Been Gone". While at it, he also recorded electric guitar fills throughout the song. His playing is always awesome...on this song as well!
Jo Henning and Come Taste The Band on Spotify.
Jo Henning and KAASIN on Spotify.
MARTIN STEENE - Lead vocals on "Dirty Nelly" and "Don`t Wanna Lose You" -
(Evil/Iron Fire)
I played with Martin in my previous band, Humbucker. I decided to re-record these two songs for my The Norseman Company album and there was no doubt...Martin had to sing them! Martin is now busy with the Danish metal bands Evil and Iron Fire and is back living i Denmark, after some yearsin Norway.
Check out Martin Steene with the band Evil on Facebook here: EVIL DENMARK
Check out Martin Steene with the band Iron Fire on Spotify here: IRON FIRE DENMARK
ANDERS ERIK ROINE - Mouth harp on "Here Comes Rock And Roll" -
Anders Erik Roine is a Norwegianfolk musician and composer who, among other things, plays instruments such as mouth harp, langeleik, harding fiddle, willow flute, lur, mandolin, banjo and guitar.
Mr. Roine did not exactly play physically on the song but he had previously recorded some mouth harp for Hallgeir Rustan that he had stored and when I asked for some traditional Norwegian instrument in that part of the song, Hallgeir thought Roine`s mouth harp recording could fit. Hallgeir was right!!
WIM KOOPMAN - Saxophone on "Dirty Nelly" -
Wim Koopman is a Dutch saxophone player who has a company called HORN FOR HIRE. He has almost 40 years of live playing experience and when we wanted some saxophone on "Dirty Nelly", Wim was at it right away, recorded his part fast, and did a great job. It s not in front of the mix but it`s there, making the sound picture wider. I am very happy with his work.
You can check out Wim Koopman here: HORNFORHIRE.COM
HALLGEIR RUSTAN - Keyboards / Strings -
I have known Hallgeir since the eighties when we went to school together in Melhus, south of Trondheim, Norway. Hallgeir made a name for himself as a producer when he Started Stargate in 1996 with Mikkel SE. After a couple of years Tor Erik Hermansen joined. They had huge success and Hallgeir has produced songs that has sold more than 20 million copies all together. When Mikkel SE and Hermansen wanted to take Stargate to the US, Hallgeir had a son that he did no want to leave, and so e stayed behind. Today Hallgeir still use the name Stargate that he founded but it is two different companies.
He also play bass and keyboards and is a man with a incredible mind when it comes to arranging songs, engineer and record music. Hallgeir has worked with artists as Elton John, Cher, Pet Shop Boys, Stage Dolls, Dag Ingebrigtsen and numerous more! On this album, Hallgeir played and recorded keyboards and strings wherever it was needed.
OLAV AJER - Piano on "Dirty Nelly" -
I know Olav from way back. He has been traveling around the country with his piano and small band, playing Top 40 hits for decades. He can play anything on his piano and keyboards! On this Dirty Nelly version I was looking for some real classy rock and roll piano playing. Something like what Jon Lord did on Whitesnake`s "Wine, Women An`Song". In fact, I referred to that song when approaching Olav with the request for piano playing on Dirty Nelly. I think Olav totally nailed it and his piano solo together with Peer Gynt`s guitar solo made the entire song complete for me. There it was...as classic as can be! I love it!
GARY STURM - The voice of Revenant Norse -
(US actor/author)
Gary Sturm is an US actor and author who first came to my attention when he starred as the sheriff in the movie Happy Hunting. A song I wrote while in Humbucker, called "Dipstick Joe", was featured in that movie and so I friend requested on Facebook some of the actors in the movie, including Gary Sturm. I also checked his homepage and I learned that he also does voice-overs. I thought I`d check it out and heard he read something called "Char Kitna". Man, that was some voice! Very dark, very low, very rough indeed and when I came up with the lines for the Revenant Norse intro, I knew I had to get Mr. Sturm to read it. An intro like that on an international release could not be read with a Norwegian accent. That would only have sounded silly. I sent the lines to Gary, he read them and returned them and when I heard it back, I remember I thought that "this is SO bullseye!!" LOL Then I took that recording to my producer Hallgeir Rustan and we put it together with the needed effects to make the story I had in mind and the intro complete. It turned out perfect! When visiting Gary Sturm`s homepage, you can in fact hear his original recording of "Revenant Norse" in the beginning of his voice-over section.
Check out Gary Sturm`s work here: GARYSTURM.COM.
Additional crowd vocals on HERE COMES ROCK AND ROLL:
Jonas Sten Steinseth, Lars Christoffer Hornseth, Mayken Stephensen, Malin Ekeberg, Michael Ziouzios.
I put a post on facebook and in the local papers asking for people who would come to Juke Joint Studios in Notodden-Norway, to record crowd vocals for Here Comes Rock And Roll and Gimme Some Rock And Roll, and these guys turned up! We ended up using it on Here Comes Rock And Roll. You have to listen very carefully, but it`s there! This was a very cool experience!
Since then one of the singers, Jonas Sten Steinseth has established and had enormous success with his own music career, under the name JONE...in a totally different genre! Check it out here: JONE on Spotify.
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I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody again for giving their time and incredible talents to make this album a reality.
This time this phrase could not be more true: IT COULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT YOU!!
Thank you all so very much!
-Geir.