Special Guests

Special Guests
Saturday, January 15, 2000

Väsen

VÄSEN started out in 1989 as a trio consisting of Olov Johansson on nyckelharpa (an instrument related to both the violin and the hurdy-gurdy), Roger Tallroth on guitar, and Mikael Marin on viola. Their first recording, released on Drone Records in 1990, was called "Väsen," which has two meanings. One is “essence”, but the other is perhaps more appropriate to the group’s performances: “hub-bub” or “big noise.” Although Väsen was originally just the name of the album, people interested in hiring the band kept asking for Väsen, and the name stuck. In 1996, the group added percussionist André Ferrari, whose playing provides the pulse behind the string instruments. Their music is rooted in the centuries-old tradition of the folk music of the Uppland. Mixing traditional Swedish music with rock, jazz, and classical influences, they create a distinctive sound. Part of this original sound comes from the nyckelharpa, played tonight by history’s first world nyckelharpa champion. There is also a great deal of humor and new thinking in their music, which reinforces the band’s notion that playing music should be enjoyable. During the last few years, they have toured the Nordic countries, France, Hungary, Ireland, Scotland, and the U.S., in addition to being frequent guests at the big folk music festivals in Scandinavia. The group has recorded eight albums together. Their most recent release is "Gront" (NorthSide Records). The band can be heard in concert at the Fitzgerald following Saturday’s broadcast.

Guy Clark

GUY CLARK was born in the desert town of Monahans, in West Texas. The son of a well-read lawyer, Clark grew up in a household where poetry and literature were part of everyday life. He learned early on to love and respect the melody of the spoken word. After college, he moved to Houston, where he befriended a group of songwriters that included Townes Van Zandt and John Lomax, Jr. In the late ’60s, Clark moved to California, living first in San Francisco (where he met and married his wife Susanna, a painter and songwriter), and later in Los Angeles. In 1971, he and his wife moved to Nashville, where Clark picked up work as a writer with publishing companies. He released his first album, optimistically named "Old No. 1" (RCA), in 1975. Since then, he has made a total of eleven records, the latest of which is "Cold Dog Soup" (Sugar Hill). While it features guest appearances by Emmylou Harris and Shawn Camp, "Cold Dog Soup" is essentially Clark’s live performance in the studio with longtime collaborators Verlon Thompson and Darrell Scott. Clark has also recorded with Nanci Griffith, Lee Roy Parnell, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, and Chip Taylor, among others. He believes that songwriting requires a certain amount of discipline, and has learned that if you don’t write an idea down right away, it will disappear. This explains his tendency to scribble song ideas on cocktail napkins and the backs of in-flight magazines. Most of what he writes comes from personal experience, but he allows himself a certain amount of theatrical and poetic license. His songs have been recorded by the likes of Johnny Cash, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, and the Everly Brothers. Joining Clark this week on guitar is Verlon Thompson.