Varelse – Creature Comforts
Released 3/14/2019
Album Description:
Creature Comforts is the result of Varelse’s efforts to push themselves musically, to create collaboratively, and to test the boundaries of instrumental folk music while maintaining a connection to tradition. All the band members come from different musical backgrounds, with just enough overlap that they can build off of each other’s experiences and form their own musical language. Nearly all of the album was recorded live together in the same room, and features all instrumental tunes written by Amy, Collin, and Joe, along with several medleys of traditional folk melodies.
Click here to stream Creature Comforts on Youtube:
Artist Info:
Name: Varelse
Label: Unsigned
Genre: Nordic Folk Fusion
Similar Bands: Väsen, Hoven Droven, Sver, Hawktail
Contact:
Amy Hakanson
+46 72 849 39 82
amyhakansonmusic (at) gmail (dot) com
Band Biography:
For several years after returning to Oregon after studying Scandinavian folk music in Sweden, Amy Hakanson searched for fellow musicians interested in exploring modern and traditional Scandinavian folk music. She found them in Collin Stackhouse, Joe Pomianek, and Steven Skolnik, and together they formed the Varelse. Nyckelharpa, fiddle, guitar, mandolin and various world percussion instruments come together to create a sound that is simultaneously old and new. Weaving together Nordic tradition, North American fiddle tunes, and Western European melodies, along with African and Middle Eastern rhythmic traditions, Varelse pushes the boundaries of folk fusion.
Varelse’s live performances showcase their tunes from their debut album Creature Comforts, as well as new compositions and creative arrangements of traditional melodies from Scandinavia, the British Isles, and North America.
Now, as Amy is back in Sweden getting her masters degree at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Varelse is playing a little less often – but they look forward to playing together whenever she’s Stateside!
Band Members:
Amy Hakanson – Nyckelharpa, Fiddle
Joe Pomianek – Guitar, Mandolin
Collin Stackhouse – Fiddle
Steven Skolnik – World Percussion (Aludu, darbuka, mbira, kit, spoons)
