After a crazy spring where the entire world was challenged by corona virus, and the Danish live music scene was put out of business, we now see the weirdest summer ever. In most of europe they have gained control with the virus, and things are starting to look like before the virus – but then it’s not really.
We don’t see many touring musicians crossing the borders during these months, and it is still not easy to get the organizers to take the chance and book the bands.
These days many are performing live on facebook, which is pretty much like busking in the streets in the old days. You play your best, people are passing by, and if they like what they see, and if they can afford it, they might drop a coin or two before before the go on out in the swarm of online offers from Danish and international musicians.
I myself did a concert like that not long ago performing with the singer and percussionist Mia Guldhammer, and the violinist Kristian Bugge. That was a pretty good experience and we played for an ‘audience’ spread out over huge parts of the western world, especially the US. Find and see the concert on our facebook page. Music starts about 8 minutes into the video.
Mia Guldhammer and I are still planing to record a live album featuring guests at the festival Musik over Præstø Fjord, but because of the virus we have been forced to wait for one year. That of cause is a bummer, but it is also a bit cool, because that mean that our concert and our recording wiil happen on August 6th 2021 – and that is the exact day that I turn 60, so that’ll be quite some party.
As soon as the worst part of the pandemic seemed to calm down a little, we restarted composing and recording videos. This video was we recorded in my living room at Frederiksberg, with two good colleagues, multi instrumentalistMads Kjøller-Henningsen and violinist Clara Tesch. The tune Mia and I composed together calling it ‘Polka Umulius’.
My old dad and I on a walk in the Danish nature.
Not long ago we visited my old father in Dragør, and there we were allowed to film an old song from the island of Fanø in his little cozy work shop. The song is called ‘Rundt på gulvet’ (Round the floor) and it was one of publisher Julius Strandberg’s hottest successes during the late 19th century.