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PROJECTS - VALIVANN

Kerstin Blodig`s VALIVANN

Rhythmic Ballads from Both Sides of the North Sea


Kerstin Blodig vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin
Urs Fuchs percussion, bass, vocals,
Ian Melrose whistles, guitar, vocals
Ola Norbakken keyboards, programming

The sea with its mysterious depths, its vast breadth and its breathtaking power has always fascinated generations of people and provided the inspiration for countless tales and legends.
The North Sea is the geographical link between the two seafaring nations Norway and Scotland, which are also bound together by countless historical connections.
Trading and invasions have not only brought forth similarities in speech and dialects, but have also led to strong cultural ties, particularly evident in the area of folk music.

One of the principal ideas behind the project VALIVANN is to feature the striking similarity between Celtic and Scandinavian ballads, particularly the thematic content of the lyrics.
VALIVANN has combined a subjective choice of favourite lyrics with original and traditional melodies to create an exciting nordic ethno-cocktail: Kerstin`s crystal-clear voice floating over a lush carpet of hard-edged rhythms, samples and acoustic instruments.

Kerstin Blodig is regarded as one of the most important interpreters of Scandinavian and Celtic world music.
As founding member of a wide variety of different projects, ranging from studio work, folk-pop and theatre music productions to the Celtic groups Talking Water, Norland Wind and Touchwood, her creativity covers a very wide range. She cultivates her Norwegian roots not only with Kelpie, but also in her solo performances and her band-project Valivann. Her recent solo-CD Trollsang (Westpark Music) sets even higher musical standards than her debut album Valivann, which won the renowned German Critics Prize (May 2002) and was also released by the world-music label ALULA in North America.
Being one of the finest women guitarists in the acoustic scene today, she has recently become endorser of Gibson Guitars.
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"Blodig impressed us with one of the most expressive voices I`ve ever heard."
Glåmdalen, Norway

" It's very rare to experience such a balanced, soft and clear timbre. The cream on the cake was her encore - a beautiful version of the Norwegian folk song ‚"Sven Svane'".
Jærbladet, Norway

"True highlights were delivered by Kerstin Blodig, who really won over the audience with her pure, crystal-clear voice. She also proved to be a very versatile instrumentalist - playing guitar, keyboards, bouzouki and percussion. This lady really knows what she's doing."
Free Press, Germany