8. March

Finally we're up and running! Music production set out on tour le tour on Thursday afternoon from Elverum and traveled to Lærdal to sleep over. This is to shorten the journey down to about 3 hours to Bergen on Friday for the first concert at Nordhordland Folk High School. We drove through all seasons through small towns, deserted places and mountain passes and finally got to Lærdal at 00.30 for some sleep. Most of us had a good night's sleep, with the exception of teacher Halvor who ended up in a bed most likely filled with bedbugs… but on tour one has to endure so much.

After a nice breakfast in the cabins, we set out for destination Bergen. Unfortunately we had to turn around at Voss, due to an accident in a tunnel closer to Bergen… so 1 hour travel became about 5 hours detour around Odda. Jaja… we got a lot of fantastic nature, and the atmosphere in the bus was impeccable anyway. So the planned concert at 20 was pushed back to 20.30, and we rigged up in record time. The first concert was met with a fantastic audience here at Nordhordland fhs, and most of it went pretty well but with some premiere nerves of course. But we have 6 concerts to correct the small mistakes that may occur.

Early tomorrow we travel on to Ørsta and Møre Fhs. A new 6 hour bus ride in other words. We do not play tour!

to be continued….

10. March

We at music production have come to Molde fhs at the time of writing, and have just rigged down after a brilliant concert here. Since the last time we have woken up on Nordhordland fhs in real snow, and then you think about it when you know that you will drive for about 7 hours on to Ørsta and Møre Fhs with 9 seats and a trailer full of music equipment. But we drove on, and after a small pit stop where Halvor after a cold night with a sheet like a duvet got a new sleeping bag without fleas in it, we experience on the trip all seasons and absolutely fantastic surroundings. There is probably a thing with lots of ferries here, we also found out, so there will be some swallows with coffee on the trip.

We are received wonderfully at Møre fhs, and get Japanese supper after rig and sound check. This concert takes place in a slightly old-fashioned classroom, and goes like a ball. We set three goals for the evening: start in the right key, have tuned the bass and be radiant and smiling on stage (the first two goals are somewhat internal). All of that we manage and that the musical also sat in myyyyye to a greater extent versus the prize night. The new thing this evening is that we teachers introduce "teachers corner", where the three of us in the middle of the set will play a new cover song every night and where we are happy to change instruments as well. The choice falls on the Beatles' "Come Together", with a meeeget on Halvor Thorsnes on vocals to the delight of the students and the fantastic Møre audience. It is a very happy mus.prod group that joins the Møre students on game night, social team and a little trip up the school jacuzzi (!!!).

After a good night on Møre, we sail towards Molde and Molde fhs - a trip of about 3 hours, which is almost nothing compared to the last days farting. Even today we get a lot of weather and up to several ferries. And after some bitter attempts to force a slightly steep slippery hill in the center of Molde (which we had to give up), we arrived for dinner at Molde fhs. Here we live and we live and play in the school gymnasium. We rig even faster than before, finish the sound check even faster than before and play even better than before - good combo. And after Halvor's little battle against the light table, there was light too - at least for a while. But a fantastic Molde audience lit up the stage with their mobiles, and it was a little magical moment with music lit by mobiles. "Teachers Corner" this evening falls on Joe Cocker's "You can leave your hat on", with an almost equally applied Arild Sveum on vocals. And after another well-conducted concert and quick rigging, it is good to calm down with a little snacking, basketball and writing a blog for the teachers while our students can enjoy themselves in a social team with the students here.

The repertoire is really starting to settle down now, and it's a lot of fun to be on tour. It will be exciting to see further where we come to and what happens. Early tomorrow, the road continues to Surnadal and Nordmøre fhs, before Selbu and Peder Morset fhs are waiting for Tuesday. Pay attention!

to be continued ...

13. March

Two new concerts have been made, and it will be a little good with a game-free evening and sleep in your own bed in Elverum after 5 concerts in 6 days with an unknown high number of miles with very varied weather and travel.

On Monday we left a Molde bath in sunshine after a great day and concert there. We decided to take another small de-tour to see the spectacular Atlantic road on the way to Surnadal. Because according to a map reader whose name should be unnamed, it was only a half hour drive from the Atlantic Road and to Surnadal. We can take self-criticism that we should think that it can not vote, but it turned out that it was half an hour to Surnadal Sparebank in Kristiansund, and not to Surnadal itself… hehe. Dirt same, we got to see a fantastic bridge in miserable weather and got 2 extra hours in a car that we had not thought of. We went straight to Dreamfarm Studio run by John Robin's father in class. A fantastic studio made inside a barn on a farm in Surnadal. A very inspiring place where the composition genes gained momentum among the students. From there we went to Nordmøre fhs, which was the evening's office. We are received fantastically, and get to play on a stage with a real light rig in front of an enthusiastically good audience. The evening's "teachers corner" fell on Hey Jude, which created a big all-singing factor. Is there any point in being on tour then? 🙂

After a quieter morning and a good lunch on Nordmøre, we set course for Peder Morset fhs in Selbu. Here we are also wonderfully received by students and staff, and we equip ourselves in the dining room. It will be a more intimate café feeling than the night before on the big stage and light rig, and that is what is fun about playing at folk high schools - you have to deal with all arenas. We perform the 5th concert with great bravura, and were not allowed to leave the stage without an extra number. "Teachers corner" was today "Do you want to be worse with me home tonight", since we were in Trøndelag and since Halvor can not play DDE shuffle on drums… yet ..

Today the course goes home to Elverum, since we have no games. We stop in Trondheim to bring Rockheim and a dinner in Tyholttårnet on the trip. It will be perfectly ok with a night in bed after a week on a mattress, but everyone is in good spirits and we enjoy the trip. The last stop will be tomorrow at Toten fhs and a jam session at "Hemmat" in Gjøvik.

to be continued ...

19. March

It must be said that it was incredibly digg to sleep one night in your own bed. After a long tour of the fjords and ferries, and the last leg down Østerdalen from Trondheim, it was nice to come home for supper and fellow students from other lines.

After a bit of sleep, we headed west towards Lena and Toten folk high school. Here, as always, we are very well received, and we rig up and do away with a sound check before dinner. Here we are served Korean food that Rector Live and associated students on a line linked to Korean culture has restored. To quote Kooper: "This is the best meal I had in years!" Then we play our last concert in front of another fantastically grateful audience. It is both good and sad that the last note on the official tour has been played. The world's last "Teachers Corner", but without an absent Halvis Prestley, became Vaseline's "Surfboard" on drums and keys keys since we were at Toten mæssom. After the concert, we got to see a dress rehearsal for a self-written performance about body pressure and self-image that they were to play for 9th graders and high school students. Nice to give and take a little.

After dinner we set course for Gjøvik and the pub Hemmat. Here is a jam session every Thursday night with a great house orchestra from the rich music environment around Gjøvik / Toten. Here the students throw themselves with brask and bram and play songs from the tour, jam songs with other musicians and learn a few things about living in the present in music. The journey home is late, and it is good to go to bed at 02 after a good day with music. Friday is clean / wash / evaluation day. And to end with a little cliché: everyone agreed that it had been a great tour.

The end.

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