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nbsp;
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Folque =
:the history of a Norwegian folk rock grou=
p |
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Back in 1972 I was one of many young people play=
ing
strange songs on minor-tuned guitars at the Folk Clubs of Oslo. Usually w=
ith
a friend called Eilif Amundsen. In the spring=
I was
asked to participate on an anti-EEC-record. I got together with a bunch of
pals, and played my own song "Si ja <=
span
class=3DSpellE>til selvstendighet"=
;
(Yes, to independence!). Afterwards I toured along the southern coast and
became acquainted with another singer/guitarist, J&o=
slash;rn
Jensen. After the tour I joined Eilif and his
brother and went with them to |
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![](3D"FOLQUEeng-filer/image001.jpg")
=
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That was the beginning of Folque. <= o:p> I the fall Jørn, Eilif
and I started a group. We needed a singer and, and asked Lars' sister, Li=
sa,
and the result was the folk group "Brød<=
/span>
og Vin" (Bread and Wine). We were a stra=
nge musical
mixture: Eilif and I played American Old Time=
(In
the New Lost City Ramblers tradition), Jørn
played Jansch-style guitar, and Lisa was a
committed fan of the American singer Melanie. But we rehearsed some songs=
and
got our first gigs In the spring 1973 we had begun to develop our own style: Translat=
ed
English folk songs, traditional Norwegian songs, guitar, banjo, mandolin,=
and
dulcimer. We changed our name to FOLQUE and were joined by Espen (who later on was to become our road manager)=
on
percussion, Trond &Oslas=
h;verland
on bass-guitar and Trond Villa on fiddle. |
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![](3D"FOLQUEeng-filer/image003.gif")
=
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Early in 1974 we made our first TV-appearance in
"Flimra". Later the same spring we =
recorded
a demo in the basement-studio of Øystein Sunde, who brought the tape to the record-company
Phonogram. A contract! The first album "Folque" was reco=
rded
and released the same fall. Øystein
produced, and a drummer joined us in the studio. The album was well recei=
ved,
and we even had a radio-hit with a traditional dance tune, "Reinlende=
r".
But as soon as the record was finished, the band=
was
beginning to fall to pieces. Personal and musical disagreements led to |
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With Lars and his Stratocaster, a permanent drum=
mer
became necessary, and before we recorded the second album, Morten Jakobsen had joi=
ned us
on drums. We now were a full-fledged folkrock=
-band!
In the summer 1975 we played the Forum Festival in A=
rendal
and the Festigavla Festival in Ålesund.
"Kjempene p&arin=
g;
Dovrefjell" (The Giants in the |
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Soon after Trond &Os=
lash;.
left us, going to |
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First a new vocalist, Jenn<=
/span>
Mortensen, and then a new fiddler, Øyvind Rauset, joined in the spring 1977. That summer we p=
layed
at Kalvøya, the biggest festival in |
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Eilif had left the band in the spring 1978 and new bassist was Per Vestaby. With this line-up we played the Television=
-show
"Musikalsk gjestebu=
d"
in the fall, and the Troilltampen Festival ne=
xt
summer. We made a second album on Mai, "Fred=
løs"
(Outlaw), in 1980. On this record Jenn and |
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1980 saw new changes in the band, a new drummer,=
Pål Søvik,=
and
then a new bassist, Roald Thommesen.
We left Mai and signed up with a new record company, Talent Records. On t=
he
next album, "Landet ditt"
(Your Homeland), Øyvind's compositions=
and
synthesisers held a central position. |
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The last chapter in the history of Folque started
when Øyvind left in 1981. Without a fi=
ddler,
Lars' guitar and my mandolin took the lead, and did quite well. "=
Sort
Messe" (Witches' Mass) was recorded =
next
year. This album was mostly Lars' and mine compositions and my lyrics, le=
ss
traditional folk. Arvid was back as producer,=
and
the result was in our opinion an excellent, but rock-oriented record.&nbs=
p; |
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The appearance at the Midt<=
/span>-Fyn
Festival was to be Folque's last, although |
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I 2004 Folque was
reunited (but without a drummer) for two gigs, the last at Norsk Folkemuseum in And that's all folks! Folque didn't really ever =
do
many gigs, although we did play from |
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We never did get much money, and hardly any fame,
but we made eight albums over the ten years we played together, and hopef=
ully
a few people still remember our music. |
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=
Folque
at Norsk Folkemuseum: Lars Helljesen: Vocals/=
guitar |
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Photo: Anne=
-ise
Reinsfelt |
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Mail questions or comments Morten Bing