RUSK[1], Norwegian folk music group active from 1999 to 2007.[2] The members were Unni Løvlid on vocals, Vegar Vårdal on fiddle and Hardanger fiddle, and Frode Haltli on accordion.
History
editThe group began by specialising in traditional music from the area Solør and Finnskogen[3], and their first appearance was on the local CD release 'Der skogen står fredfull' (1999).[4] The musicians in RUSK where still students at this time, they met at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.
Their official self-entitled debut album was released by Grappa[5] in 2002.The album received praise in Norwegian and international press, Roots World said that "...the effort opens up stunning musicianship, sunny, high-spirited vocals, and narrative tunes, all clearly and deftly produced."[6]
The Ectophiles' Guide wrote about their second album RUSK II: "Rusk is a wonderful traditional Norwegian group that does haunting spare version of ballads. Lovely stuff. The lead singer has a strong, evocative, plaintive voice, and the stripped-down down is powerful."[7]
Andrew Cronshaw in fRoots stated: "Back in their home tradition, Løvlid and Haltli with hardanger fiddler Vegar Vårdal constitute the trio Rusk. Their first album concentrated on songs and tunes from Finnskog and Solør, but here they bring in some material from other regions of Norway and elsewhere. The tralling treatment of the Swedish tune Gånglåt Etter Lejsme-Per is a rather ordinary choice as opener; beyond it there are more interesting songs, of love, war, drinking and emigration, with a richer sound and often a reflective, darker feel. There’s the surprising inclusion of their version of Trent Reznor’s Hurt; while it is broodingly effective, Løvlid’s voice taking on a world-weary quality surrounded by ringing and sobbing hardingfele over grinding accordion bass, and undoubtedly a powerful item in their live set, it’s virtually impossible on record to re-personalise the song that the late Johnnny Cash so completely and movingly made his own."[8]
Discography
edit- 2002: RUSK: RUSK (Heilo/Grappa)
- 2006: RUSK: RUSK II (Heilo/Grappa)[9]
Members
edit- Frode Haltli[10]
- Unni Løvlid
- Vegar Vårdal[11]
References
edit- ^ "Rusk".
- ^ https://frodehaltli.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/concerts-1996-2011.pdf
- ^ https://www.ballade.no/folkemusikk/rusk-avslutter-norgesturne-pa-voss-og-i-oslo/
- ^ http://www.vålerkirken.no/derskogen.html
- ^ https://snl.no/Grappa_Musikkforlag
- ^ "Rusk (Unni Løvlid, Vegar Vårdal, and Frode Haltli) / RootsWorld Recording Review". www.rootsworld.com.
- ^ "The Ectophiles' Guide to Good Music - RUSK".
- ^ "Andrew Cronshaw - Reviews written for fRoots". www.cloudvalley.com.
- ^ https://grappa.no/en/albums/heilo/rusk-ii/
- ^ https://snl.no/Frode_Haltli
- ^ https://www.kultivator.no/vegarvardalcv