Posts Tagged ‘Lars Fredrik Frøislie’

The year is 2000, and it is the year that Norwegian Prog Legends WHITE WILLOW released what would be the band’s third full-length album.  Titled “Sacrament” the album would undergo a long, painstaking creative process, one that would ensure that the arrangements of each song were inventive, dynamic, and above all, beautiful. 

After a lengthy period of rehearsals at the Norwegian Institute for Scene and Studio, WHITE WILLOW entered Lydkjøkkenet, a brand new studio run by Øystein Vesaas, a talented engineer whose patience and personality were a perfect fit for the band, allowing them time to experiment and try out different variations.

Recorded over an extended period of time, due to the fact that WHITE WILLOW’s founder Jacob Holm-Lupo was holding down a full-time job, the sessions for “Sacrament” would often run from the evening until well into the night. Despite the punishing schedule,  the whole band felt energized and believed totally in the material they were working on, so that instead of feeling onerous, the whole experience is remembered by them as an enjoyable time.

It is creation about which Holm-Lupo says:

“Sacrament” is the first album where I think we did everything really well” 

It was during the making of “Sacrament”, that the Prog scene itself was undergoing a period in which certain elements of the genre were beginning to filter through into mainstream music, which in itself gave WHITE WILLOW somewhat of a motivational boost.  The end result was an album  that not only received glowing reviews world-wide and healthy sales figures, it also received some mainstream recognition.

Now, as part of Karisma Records plans to re-release six albums from WHITE WILLOWS’ back catalogue, “Sacrament” has been  meticulously remastered by Holm-Lupo himself to become the third of the six scheduled releases. 

Set to appear on the 5th July, this will be the first time that “Sacrament” will be released in vinyl format, and, along with the Limited Edition White Vinyl, it will also be available in CD and Digital formats.  

Presented with the classic original cover art, track listing on “Sacrament” is as follows:

1. Anamnesis
2. Paper Moon
3. The Crucible
4. The Last Rose of Summer
5. Gnostalgia
6. The Reach

“Sacrament” is now available to pre-order from:

Smartlink to various services: https://orcd.co/ww-sacrament
Webshop: https://www.karismarecords.no/shop/
Bandcamp: https://whitewillow.bandcamp.com/album/sacrament-remaster

WHITE WILLOW was formed in 1992 by guitarist Jacob Holm-Lupo, who at that time was a member of the POLICE/BRUCE HORNSBY-inspired pop band THE ORCHID GARDEN, and keyboard player Jan Tariq Rahman from local jazz-rock/prog rock band DUGGVÅTE DVE.

It was a case of two musicians coming together see if they had any kind of songwriting chemistry, and, whilst sitting on the floor playing acoustic guitar and clavinet, produced the track “Snowfall” which convinced them that they could, indeed, come up with something worthwhile.

WHITE WILLOW’s history, however, was never simple, with members having come and gone over the years  and only Holm-Lupo having remained with the band since its inception, whilst WOBBLER’s Lars Fredrik Frøislie has been a mainstay since 2001.

The band’s  sound too has undergone changes, but it’s safe to say that it is frequently centered around female vocals and an expanded instrumentation that usually includes a host of analogue synthesizers, mellotron, woodwinds and strings, in addition, of course, to traditional rock instrumentation.

Now, exclusively a studio project, WHITE WILLOW is noted for featuring guest appearances from prominent musicians such as  Norway’s guitar hero Hedvig Mollestad, or internationally renowned klezmer clarinetist David Krakauer. 

By the time the re-release project is finished, Karisma Records will have released all six of the following albums:

Ignis Fatuus – 1995 (released Nov 2023)
Ex Tenebris – 1997 (released April 2024)
Sacrament – 2000  (due for release July 2024)
Storm Season – 2004
Signal to Noise – 2006
Terminal Twilight – 2011

More information about WHITE WILLOW can be found at https://www.facebook.com/whitewillowband/

A video for the track “Kansas Regrets” from WHITE WILLOW’s 2011 album “Terminal Twilight” can be seen below

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whitewillowband/
Holm-Lupo Lydproduksjon:   www.duderanchstudio.com
Karisma Records contact: post@karismarecords.no 
Karisma Records: http://www.karismarecords.no/
Karisma Records Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karismarecords
Karisma Records Bandcamp: https://karismarecords.bandcamp.com
Karisma Records on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/KarismarecordsNor
Karisma Records Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarismaRecords
Karisma on SoundCloud:  https://soundcloud.com/karisma-records
Karisma Records Webshop: http://karismarecords.bigcartel.com/
Karisma Records US Webshop: https://karismarecords.indiemerch.com

When WOBBLER’s keyboard player LARS FREDRIK FRØISLIE released his debut solo album “Fire Fortellinger” on Karisma records in 2023, he had always had a certain vision in mind for the track “Et sted under himmelhvelvet”, and now, thanks to Karisma Records, that vision is about to become a reality, with the release of the track as a very special single featuring STEFANO “LUPO” GALIFI, the legendary vocalist from the equally legendary Italian Prog band MUSEO ROSENBACH.

FRØISLIE who is himself a huge fan of Italian Prog in general and of MUSEO ROSENBACH in particular,  explains:

When I wrote “Et sted under himmelhvelvet”, I imagined an Italian version in my head with just STEFANO “LUPO” GALIFI’S vocals. Not so surprising, perhaps, since he is one of my my  favourite vocalists. I have loved his slightly raspy, but powerful and soulful vocals, ever since I discovered MUSEO ROSENBACH as a teenager.  

When the opportunity presented itself, I thought it couldn’t hurt to ask him, and it gave me much joy that he was actually willing to sing on this one. Especially since he sings just as well today as he did 50 years ago.  

For me, it was both emotional and surreal to hear a voice I have known and loved throughout much of my life, singing one of my songs.  

Finally, I must thank Sergio Lombardi, who both put me in touch with Stefano, and translated the text into Italian for me. 

 The song “Et sted under himmelhvelvet” itself is a dreamy piece that conjures up images of a Renaissance garden near Florence or Arcadia. But, in fact,  it could be anywhere where it feels good to be. It is partly about travelling to a place and feeling that you have been there before – only to find out that you had ancestors who lived there long ago.

Set for release on the 20th June, the single will only be available as a Limited Edition 10″ Vinyl, strictly limited to 200 copies worldwide, as well as a digital version. 

Side A features STEFANO ‘LUPO’ GALIFI singing “Un Posto Sotto il Cielo”, the Italian language version of “Et sted under himmelhvelvet”,  whilst side B features the original Norwegian version.

The 10″ Vinyl will come with a  single in brown kraft paper sleeve, reminiscent of the good old 78 RPM gramophone records, and is now available to pre-order from:

Smartlink: https://orcd.co/lff-cielo
Bandcamp: https://larsfredrikfroislie.bandcamp.com/album/un-posto-sotto-il-cielo
Webshop: https://www.karismarecords.no/shop/
Additional Info: https://www.karismarecords.no/blog/2024/05/30/wobblers-lars-fredrik-froislie-teams-up-with-museo-rosenbachs-legendary-vocalist-stefano-lupo-galifi-for-the-release-of-a-special-track/

The Norwegian version of the track “Et sted under himmelhvelvet” from LARS FREDRIK FRØISLIE’s  2023 album “Fire Fortellinger”  can be heard below and at Cps://youtu.be/1cVzpXzBLrg?si=sA8MVwCYNNBaAbGK

More information about LARS FREDRIK FRØISLIE can be found at https://www.facebook.com/larsfredrikfroislie

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
LARS FREDRIK FRØISLIE
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/larsfredrikfroislie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larsfredrikfroislie/
KARISMA RECORDS
Promo and other information: post@karismarecords.no
Karisma Records contact: post@karismarecords.no 
Karisma Records: http://www.karismarecords.no/
Karisma Records Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karismarecords
Karisma Records Bandcamp: https://karismarecords.bandcamp.com
Karisma Records on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/KarismarecordsNor
Karisma Records Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarismaRecords
Karisma on SoundCloud:  https://soundcloud.com/karisma-records
Karisma Records Webshop: https://www.karismarecords.no
Karisma Records US Webshop:  https://karismarecords.indiemerch.com

Up until now, LARS FREDRIK FRØISLIE was known as a member of Prog Rockers WOBBLER, but thanks to Karisma Records the keyboard player will release his debut solo album “Fire Fortellinger” on the 2nd June. 

Inspired by renaissance music, 70s prog rock, especially from Italy, Norwegian 90s black metal, British rock and heavy metal  from the 60s and 70s, as well as folk music, jazz and psychedelic rock, Frøislie has created an album where each of its four tracks tells its own story, and today fans get to hear one of the tracks, “Et sted under himmelhvelvet”, which is available to stream or download from a number of services at

https://link.karismarecords.no/LFF_EtStedUnderHimmelvelvet

About the track, Frøislie explained that “Et sted under himmelhvelvet” is a dreamy song which is “Possibly set in a Renaissance Garden near Florence. But in principle it can be anywhere where it feels good to be. It is partly about travelling to a place and feeling that you have been there before – only to find out that you had ancestors who lived there long ago”.

For “Fire Fortellinger” Frøislie takes on vocals and drums, as well as a formidable array of instruments including and a few tons of old analogue keyboards such as Hammond C3, Mellotron M400, Minimoog Model D, Chamberlin M-1, Yamaha CP70B, William de Blaise spinet, Hohner Clavinet D6, Rhodes MkII and an Arp Pro Soloist. With him is Nikolai Hængsle (ELEPHANT9, NEEDLEPOINT, BIGBANG, BAND OF GOLD etc.) on Rickenbacker 4003, Fender Jazz Bass, Fender Precision and Fender Telecaster Bass.

Written during the pandemic “Fire Fortellinger” could well have been a totally different beast, one destined for a new WOBBLER album. However, circumstances being what they were, Frøislie had to work on the material alone, thereby being able to preserve a degree of spontaneity that would not have been possible had it had to pass through the band process of rehearsals and recording.   

“Fire Fortellinger” thus succeeds in preserving the impulsiveness of the original, allowing the audience to hear a finished work that is partly improvised and recorded in one take, free of any click tracks, auto-tune, MIDI or too much technology.

Track listing for “Fire Fortellinger” is as follows:

01. Rytter av dommedag
02. Et sted under himmelhvelvet
03. Jærtegn
04. Naturens katedral

With artwork by Frøislie himself “Fire Fortellinger” will be released in CD, Limited Edition LP and Digital formats and is now available to pre-order from the following:

Webshop:  https://www.karismarecords.no/kar253-lars-fredrik-froislie-fire-fortellinger/ 
Bandcamp: https://larsfredrikfroislie.bandcamp.com/album/fire-fortellinger  
US shop: https://karismarecords.indiemerch.com
Webshop General: https://www.karismarecords.no/shop/
All pre-order options & regularly updated all things album related: https://link.karismarecords.no/LFF_Fire-Fortellinger

Frøislie took advantage of the opportunities afforded by the pandemic to roam the countryside and draw inspiration from Norway’s past, which he then used to create the music and lyrics for “Fire Fortellinger”:

I dreamed myself back in time, and consumed music, art and literature from the old days. The music is characterized by this, and inspiration is drawn from, among other things, Snorre Sturlason, Sohlberg’s “Winter’s Night in the Mountains” and Hamsun’s “Growth of the Soil”. It is both a search back to an apparently more primitive time; as well as a quest back to nature and away from civilization and people.

I took many trips out to Raknehaugen in Romerike, as well as trips to an old cottage in Heidal and the home districts of Ringerike (with its many Viking graves and magical landscapes), and this can also be heard in the music.

It is this fascinating creative process that Frøislie explains in video series that describes the making of “Fire Fortellinger”. The first part can be seen below and at https://youtu.be/qApnt1EGBvM 

And the second below and at at  https://youtu.be/wl5fB6vDBBc

More information about LARS FREDRIK FRØISLIE can be found at https://www.facebook.com/larsfredrikfroislie

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
LARS FREDRIK FRØISLIE
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/larsfredrikfroislie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larsfredrikfroislie/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@fredfroi
KARISMA RECORDS
Promo and other information: post@karismarecords.no
Karisma Records contact: post@karismarecords.no 
Karisma Records: http://www.karismarecords.no/
Karisma Records Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karismarecords
Karisma Records Bandcamp: https://karismarecords.bandcamp.com
Karisma Records on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/KarismarecordsNor
Karisma Records Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarismaRecords
Karisma on SoundCloud:  https://soundcloud.com/karisma-records
Karisma Records Webshop: https://www.karismarecords.no
Karisma Records US Webshop:  https://karismarecords.indiemerch.com

LARS FREDRIK FRØISLIE, keyboard player for Prog Rockers WOBBLER is set to release his debut solo album “Fire Fortellinger” on Karisma Records on the 2nd June. 

Comprised of four tunes, each one telling its own story, “Fire Fortellinger” came about during the pandemic when Frøislie was forced to isolate like everyone else, and chose to make this time as productive as possible. Explaining how the album was conceived and the inspiration that was behind it Frøislie had this to say:

During the pandemic, I dreamed myself back in time, and consumed music, art and literature from the old days. The music is characterized by this, and inspiration is drawn from, among other things, Snorre Sturlason, Vinternatt i Rondane and Markens Grøde. It is both a search back to an apparently more primitive time; as well as a quest back to nature and away from civilization and people.

I took many trips out to Raknehaugen in Romerike, as well as trips to an old cottage in Heidal and the home districts of Ringerike (with its many Viking graves and magical landscapes), and this can also be heard in the music.

Frøislie has also completed the first part of a video series in which he describes the making of “Fire Fortellinger” and it can be seen below and at https://youtu.be/qApnt1EGBvM 

Had it not been for the pandemic, much of the material on “Fire Fortellinger” would probably have been earmarked for a new WOBBLER album, with English lyrics and subjected to the revisions that are inevitable when a band gets together over new material. However, given that the circumstances dictated that he would have to work on the material alone, Frøislie was able to keep his material as spontaneous as possible, without having to put it through too many rounds of processing.  

He has thus succeeded in preserving the impulsiveness of the original, and, as a consequence, much of what the audience gets to hear is improvised and recorded in one take, thereby maintaining the hands-on human aspect with an avoidance of click tracks, auto-tune, MIDI or too much technology.

With a sound that draws its inspiration from 70s prog rock, especially from Italy, Norwegian 90s black metal, British rock and heavy metal  from the 60s and 70s, as well as folk music, jazz and psychedelic rock, “Fire Fortellinger” finds Frøislie on vocals and drums, and availing himself of a formidable array of instruments including Ludwig drums and a few tons of old analogue keyboards including Hammond C3, Mellotron M400, Minimoog Model D, Chamberlin M-1, Yamaha CP70B, William de Blaise spinet, Hohner Clavinet D6, Rhodes MkII and an Arp Pro Soloist. With him is Nikolai Hængsle (ELEPHANT9, NEEDLEPOINT, BIGBANG, BAND OF GOLD etc.) on Rickenbacker, Fender Jazz Bass, Fender Precision and Fender Telecaster Bass.

The album artwork is by Frøislie himself and “Fire Fortellinger” will be available in CD, Limited Edition LP and Digital formats. Track listing is as follows:

01. Rytter av dommedag
02. Et sted under himmelhvelvet
03. Jærtegn
04. Naturens katedral

For those wishing to delve deeper into the stories behind each track, Frøislie was happy to oblige:

The first song “Rytter av dommedag” is themed around Ragnarok, when King Rakne awakens in his large burial mound outside Romerike and, together with the old gods, creates real mischief.

The second song “Et sted under himmelhvelvet” is dreamy, possibly set in a Renaissance garden near Florence or Arcadia. But in principle it can be anywhere where it feels good to be. It is partly about travelling to a place and feeling that you have been there before – only to find out that you had ancestors who lived there long ago.

The third song “Jærtegn” opens in a frenzy, with a horse and cart speeding through the forest. The wagon overturns at the same time as there is a solar eclipse, and the riders become eternal wanderers in the dark forest, only visible to us now and then like the northern lights, as they vainly stretch their arms towards the sun in the hope of finding their way home.

The final song “Naturens Katedral” is a depiction of the Norwegian mountains in winter where the cold is bitter, and blizzards and avalanches abound. It is also a search for bygone times when life was more basic out in the wilderness.

“Fire Fortellinger” is now available to pre-order from:

Webshop:  https://www.karismarecords.no/kar253-lars-fredrik-froislie-fire-fortellinger/ 
Bandcamp:  https://larsfredrikfrislie.bandcamp.com/album/fire-fortellinger
US shop: https://karismarecords.indiemerch.com
Webshop General: https://www.karismarecords.no/shop/
All pre-order options & regularly updated all things album related: https://link.karismarecords.no/LFF_Fire-Fortellinger

More information about LARS FREDRIK FRØISLIE can be found at https://www.facebook.com/larsfredrikfroislie

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
LARS FREDRIK FRØISLIE
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/larsfredrikfroislie
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/larsfredrikfroislie/
KARISMA RECORDS
Promo and other information: post@karismarecords.no
Karisma Records contact: post@karismarecords.no 
Karisma Records: http://www.karismarecords.no/
Karisma Records Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/karismarecords
Karisma Records Bandcamp: https://karismarecords.bandcamp.com
Karisma Records on YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/c/KarismarecordsNor
Karisma Records Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarismaRecords
Karisma on SoundCloud:  https://soundcloud.com/karisma-records
Karisma Records Webshop: https://www.karismarecords.no
Karisma Records US Webshop:  https://karismarecords.indiemerch.com