Viking Magazine - July 2010 - 38

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CdgY^XCdiZh
A
lthough born and
raised in the United
States, musician Bill
Booth moved to Norway in 1992
to explore new opportunities. He
was so inspired by Nordic culture
and heritage that it became
his musical inspiration. In 2006,
he released the album " Songs
of the Land, " an homage to his
adopted homeland. His latest
album, " New Land, " came out
in May 2010. Viking spoke with
Booth about his love of music
and Norway.
K =dl Y^Y ndj \Zi ^cid bjh^X4
; When I was about 10 years
old, my friend played a Bob
Dylan record that belonged to his
older sister. I immediately sold
my Beatles collection and bought
some Dylan albums including
" Highway 61 Revisited, " " The
Times They are a-Changin' "
and " Freewheelin' Bob Dylan. "
I bought a guitar and taught myself
by playing along with the records.
I eventually started writing
and performing my own songs at
local churches, coffeehouses and
school gatherings.
K Ndj¿gZ [gdb BV^cZ VcY ndjg
XVgZZg WZ\Vc ^c CZl Ndg`! hd l]Vi
YgZl ndj id CdglVn4
; I fi rst came to New York for
a job. I traveled to Norway to
perform with a country band
38 K>@>C< ?JAN '%&% hdchd[cdglVn#Xdb
Bjh^X^Vc 7^aa 7ddi] È cYh ^che^gVi^dc ^c CdglZ\^Vc XjaijgZ#
7N @G>HI>C6 6C9:GHDC
called Diamond Rio and, after
that, the ball kept rolling. I kept
touring and recording with
Norwegian bands such as Åge
Alexandersen og Sambandet. I
had always wanted to experience
another country and maybe learn
another language, so I thought
it would be a great opportunity
to spend time in Norway. The
months turned into years, and
I've been here ever since.
K L]Vi ^che^gZY ndj id XgZViZ
¼Hdc\h d[ i]Z AVcY4½
; When I fi rst started writing
songs in Norway, my mind was
always back in America. Then
I wrote a historical song called
" Burning Drums " about the
Sámi people. That was the fi rst
song I wrote about Norway,
and I realized my mind didn't
need to be in the United States
anymore. There were plenty of
songs, stories and ideas around
me. I started collecting ideas as I
traveled around Norway.
K ¼Hdc\h d[ i]Z AVcY½ lVh
^che^gZY Wn bdgZ i]Vc '* nZVgh
d[ idjg^c\ CdglVn# =dl Yd ndj
igVchaViZ hdbZi]^c\ hd k^hjVa ^cid
hdbZi]^c\ bjh^XVa4
; You can work with words to
create mental pictures, just like
a novelist brings a reader into
the story. Music also creates an
atmosphere. If you have a sad
song, happy song or dance song,
you have to put together chords
and rhythms to create a feeling.
K L]Vi bV`Zh ndjg aViZhi VaWjb!
¼CZl AVcY!½ Y^[[ZgZci [gdb ndjg
egZk^djh gZXdgY^c\h4
; Thematically, instead of being
about Norway itself, my latest
album is about Norwegians
in America. I traveled to areas
where Norwegians had settled in
the U.S., including Minnesota,
Washington and California. All
of the ideas behind the songs
are stories from the 1850s to the
1980s. Musically, I used more
electric instruments and drums,
so it's more rock than folk style.
K L]Vi Yd ndj Yd l]Zc ndj¿gZ
cdi bV`^c\ bjh^X4
; I like to work on my old
tresnekke, a Norwegian boat
made out of wood. I restore it,
take it out and go fi shing on the
Bunnefjord, which is at the very
end of the Oslo Fjord.
Id aZVgc bdgZ VWdji 7^aa 7ddi]! k^h^i lll#W^aaWddi]#cd
up close
Name: 7^aa 7ddi]
Age: *+
Title: Bjh^X^Vc
Origin:
E^iihÈ ZaY! BV^cZ
Current City:
K^ciZgWgd! CdglVn
Recent
Accomplishment:
?jhi gZaZVhZY ]^h
È [i] hdad VaWjb!
¼CZl AVcY½
Viking Magazine - July 2010

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