The Nordic Sound with Jameson Foster

Send us Fan Mail After a long hiatus, the Nordic Sound returns with Jósúa Hróðgeir Rood to talk about Nexion's latest album "Sundrung". Not only is Josh a rising vocal star in the extreme metal scene, but as a scholar he is currently writing my PHD dissertation on Ásatrú as a reinvention of Old Norse Heathenism for the Social and Human Sciences department at University of Iceland. Putting two PhD students in related fields together in a zoom room is typically a recipe for disaster, but I thin...

Send us Fan Mail Faber and I had such a good time hanging out for Nordic Sound 52 , that we just had to have him back on the channel to talk about Sowulo’s latest album, NIHT. We also talk about our shared challenges of listening to music as musicians (cognitive vs emotional listening), mythology, paganism, and why we seem to always use esoteric languages in this style of music. Support the show The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons over on Patreon.com/nordicsound Bar Monica Ember Ge...

Send us Fan Mail Live from the Pike's Peak Center in Colorado Springs, Einar and Jameson sit down for a retrospective on Wardruna’s “Birna” and the historic Fire in the Mountains festival in Montana this past July. Jameson Foster is an ethnomusicologist at the University of Colorado Boulder specializing in Nordic music traditions. Thumbnail photo: Morten Munthe Support the show The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons over on Patreon.com/nordicsound Bar Monica Ember George Bet...

Send us Fan Mail Live from Midgardsblot, MÍO returns to the Nordic Sound for a second time for an interview about their signing with ByNorse, their new album "Hva Nå", and how they use creatures of folklore to tell their stories about modern issues through their lyrics. Support the show The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons over on Patreon.com/nordicsound Bar Monica Ember George Bets Carrie Gen Leigh Mike Cindy Clayton Drake Eric Jamie Julia Mary Michael Michael Sean Simon Tony Yo...

Send us Fan Mail Johannes Geworkian Hellman is one of the foremost names in the Nordic folk music sphere today, impressing audiences the world over with his acrobatic and innovative approach to an often underestimated instrument - the Hurdy-Gurdy. Johannes sits down with Jameson for Nordic Sound 56 to reflect on his Hurdy-Gurdy journey and his own identity as a musician, the story of his acclaimed gurdy/accordion duo Symbio with Lars Emil Öjeberget, and his recent collaboration with highly r...

Send us Fan Mail Please join me in welcoming the inimitable Mia Guldhammer to Nordic Sound #54. Performing with acts such as Virelai, Mallebrok, and now Guldganger, Mia has long made a name for herself as a passionate keeper and performer of the Scandinavian ballad tradition at Medieval markets and reenactments, as well as a celebrated vocalist in the Danish folk music scene. Mia takes us through her experience in both, diving deep into the enchanting world of medieval balladry, how we keep t...

Send us Fan Mail Painting vivid impressionistic landscapes through their ancient instruments, Nordic folk titans Maija Kauhanen and Johannes Geworkian Hellman join forces on their debut album Migrating. Each of these musicians are heavy hitters, or even icons, if I could be so bold on their respective instruments, Maija on kantele and Johannes on hurdy-gurdy, so I have been fairly curious in the lead up to this record to see how these musicians were going to pull off blending these inst...

Send us Fan Mail Rooted in ancient Finnish lore, Noiduin emerges with their first full-length album Lovi, an homage to an otherworldly state or space, a rift between worlds, and a place of crossing where the veil between the living and the dead thins. With a sound palette dominated by tagelharpa, percussion, kantele, and raw ethereal voices, Lovi brings songs both new and revisited to their already impressive repertoire. Support the show The Nordic Sound is supported by its patrons over on Pa...

Send us Fan Mail As you all know, MÍO's debut record Ingen Tid å Miste earned the top spot on my 2023 Nordic Sound Top 10 list. All these years later, I still stand by what I’ve said before: not only does MÍO weave a musical experience like no other, but their electrifying live performances put them in a league of their own. But Ingen Tid å Miste had the benefit of being without precedent. The sophomore album, on the other hand, is the arena in which a band like MÍO needs to buckle in ...

Send us Fan Mail The Black Metal perspective makes a long overdue debut to the Nordic Sound in episode 49 with the inimitable Thomas Eriksen (Mork, Udåd). Not only has Thomas made quite the name for himself as the mind behind Mork, but kept himself and others entertained during COVID running his own Black Metal podcast, the "Thomas Eriksen Podcast" which featured some in depth conversations with big names in Norwegian Black Metal. Join us as Thomas takes us through what the style means to him...

Send us Fan Mail Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, Frigg have long established themselves as one of the leading string bands in Nordic folk. A small army of six musicians, what has always astounded me about the band is how effectively they use their numbers to their fullest capabilities, often times in their recordings sounding like there’s a full orchestra at their disposal. Their attention to orchestration and texture is second-to-none, and even when all three fiddles are chuggi...

Send us Fan Mail This year, I made it a New Years' resolution for the channel that we'd finally start an honest effort in expanding the Nordic Sound into new and more diverse genres, and what better way to bring classical music back into the picture than by chatting with one of my favorite music writers. Join me in welcoming Ola Nordal (Ballade Klassisk, Store Norske Leksikon) to talk about Norway's contemporary classical scene, the practice of active listening, and writing about music...