Sugar Plum Fairies

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 cover of Sugar Plum Fairies' 2005 debut, Fivrelddans - Haakon Lie i ord og tonar, released on their own Spun Sugar Records label

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"

1 Discography
2 Awards
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] 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)