Northern Norwegians were almost invisible in popular culture up until Jack Berntsen launched a wave of new local folk song. We never looked back and the river of fresh texts and music has refused to dry up. Northern Norwegian texts are increasingly finding their way into English translations and spreading their wings out across the world.
Once again the festival sends out an invitation to a rich traditional meeting between text, music and soup. Anneli Drecker leads the way under the title ”Fish and popular culture”. We can sample tasty musical dishes from her critically acclaimed new album ”Rocks & Straws”, and Veronica Melå will recite excerpts from Ola Bremnes’ writings in the book ”Sea. Food, power and opinion”.
The album ”Rocks & Straws” is Anneli´s homecoming from a journey she set out upon with Bel Canto in 1986. Over the course of this journey Anneli became more and more aware of her roots. Rocks & Straws paints a nordic, arctic-acoustic landscape, with influences from across the world, and the words of northern Norwegian poet Arvid Hanssen. The texts are translated to English and adapted by Roy-Frode Løvland.
Arvid Hanssen has had a great influence upon Anneli Drecker. In 1982 she played the starring role in the film ”Brethren upon God´s earth”, based on Hanssen´s book of the same title, and had the pleasure of meeting him during filming. It is therefore personally satisfying for Anneli that she can bring his poetry to a wider audience, both here and abroad.
”In the the tribute to Northern Norway «Rocks and Straws» Anneli Drecker´s vocals shine brighter than the midnight sun”, wrote Dagbladet in april.
The book ”Sea. Food, power and opinion” is released during the festival and contains 23 texts about the northern Norwegian coast´s development. Prominent politicians, economists, sociologists, journalists, historians and musicians make their own contributions to the book. They are joined by seven top chefs and six photographers.