The folk rock band and phenomenon Hekla Stålstrenga are returning to the Arctic Arts Festival with music fresh from the pen!
With their blend of folk music and acoustic pop Hekla Stålstrenga have created their own unique soundworld rooted in northern Norwegian traditional music. On the 15th of April they release the album ”Ventetid” on the label Tal:ik. This fifth album is pure Hekla Stålstrenga but is thematically bolder and more mature than its predecessors. The texts are taken from a large stable of authors. From the Danish Tove Ditlevsen to the Scot Robert Burns and folk singer Halvdan Sivertsen, the writer Inger Hagerup and the dramatist Jon Fosse, whilst the music, as usual, is written by the band itself.
Hekla have previously had several songs on the radio hitlist, amongst others ”Båtbygger Jo”, ”Vise ved Vintersolkverv” and ”Folketonen”. They are perhaps best known for their interpretation of the Ola Bremnes song ”Har du fyr” ("Have you got a light?").
Last year the band celebrated their 10 year anniversary with concerts and commissions. After their camper van tour around the region in 2012 Hekla Stålstrenga have become beloved throughout the north. The band caused a few surprises when they sold out the Opera House in Oslo in 2014. They have been nominated for the Spellemann Prize for the albums ”Hekla Stålstrenga”, ”Makramé” and ”Dyrandé” in the categories of folk music.
Hekla received the Arctic Arts Festival´s Young Artists Award in 2006.
Watch the NRK documentary "Reinhekla magi" here