News and stuff

EP Review and autumn life

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:17:00 +0000

Hi, all!
About time this blog got a new post, no? So, summer's over and it's back to work, and quite a lot of it too on my end... I fill my days with music now, quite a lot of teaching it, but also some playing it. I'm having loads of fun, but I'm new at most of the things I'm doing so it's quite stressful as well! Today I've been looking at tax stuff. Hellyeah rock'n roll! Glamorous as always:)

Fun thing happened this week: I managed to get the attention of my newspaper (yes I've been a bit slow) and they did a review of my EP. They even liked it. Gave it 5 out of 6 stars? dots? ... er, squares? and said I'm overdue for a breakthrough! Now that I can relate to:) Read the whole thing here:
http://www.t-a.no/kultur/anmeldelser/musikk/article131926.ece

If you want to keep closer track of what's happening with my music, the best place to do so is my Facebook Page and/or my tweets.

xxxx Silje x

Video from release show and other things too!

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:36:00 +0000

Phew! I've sort of landed again after a hectic week of finishing the EPs, rehearsing and playing the release concert on Thursday. The new EP "Beauty for the Blind" is now up for streaming here on the website (go here), and if you want it you can get it from iTunes or from Gogoyoko.

The release show was quite a success I think, big thanks to everyone who came! I had a good time on stage, the band did an amazing job and it is always a blessing to have Jonas doing the sound. Photographer Oda Hveem (visuello.no) took some great photos, you can see some here, or on my Facebook Page. Oda also shot some video, and even if the sound is not the best you can hear what's going on:) This one is "Fools from the 60's", featuring Arvid and Audun Skaugen on trombone and clarinet. Hope you like it!
Silje xx

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:06:00 +0000

In case you wonder what I'm up to these days, I've made a li'l video...

Single and Release Show

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 17:45:00 +0000

The release show is booked, everyone's gonna be there, are you? :) It's gonna be on the 11th of March, in the second floor of Dattera til Hagen, Oslo. Starting nine-ish, I suppose - you'll get more info. Here's the facebook event: http://bit.ly/aghclb

To celebrate I've put the first song from the EP up for streaming, and for sale exclusively through Gogoyoko. It is called "I Don't Care if you're Beautiful". You can listen to it in my website "radio", or on my MySpace page, and you can buy it here: http://www.gogoyoko.com/#/album/7673

Hope you like it, hope you come to the release, hope everything's gonna work out...

Much love, Silje

Aaaaaaah....

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:53:00 +0000

My stomach's all crazy

I got the MASTER CD back from the mastering studio. It reads: "DDP image for cd glassmastering. Handle with extreme care" - so I do.

I'm booking my ass off for the release concert. It's very frustrating because a lot of people simply ignore their phones...

I've sorted out digital distribution

I'm mailing with the cover designer

I think i've got all the codes and paperwork...

I've booked our next rehearsal

I can't wait til everything's set!

I'm not not enjoying this :P

Mastering!

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:39:00 +0000

Allright:)

I'm starting the day with 1 1/2 cup of coffee and some email work in my kitchen. It's really cold in Oslo now! - 17 degrees at the moment, which is warmer than most of Norway now but still freezing... But the sun's coming up now and it's really beautiful.

In a few minutes I'm gonna have to go out in that cold, and in my bag is gonna be a CD with the result of months and months of work and waiting: the final EP mixes! I'm delivering them to the mastering engineer today. That means there's gonna be no more tweaking or changing ones mind... amazing:)

I'm also trying to book the first band rehearsal for the release concert. Good things, good things. Have a great day in the snow, guys!

Silje xxx

the livingroom videos #2

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 21:41:00 +0000

Happy new year, everyone:) Decided to start 2010 with a new song from the piano corner in my livingroom. It's gonna be Fools from the 60's this time as it is one of the newest and I like it:) Here you go:

the livingroom videos #1

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 15:37:00 +0000

I've started recording some songs on video - here you go; the first one! :) You can find them here or on my youtube channel. This is the song of the posh lady!

Some photos from our last gig

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:15:00 +0000

Here are a couple of pics from the gig in Copa Con Oro last weekend - taken by Anna!

Music for a train journy in the dark

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:04:00 +0000

Mark Knophler - why aye man
TV on the Radio - family tree
The Beta Band - dry the rain
Regina Spektor - Eet
Joni Mitchell - two grey rooms
Imogen Heap - first (ironically) train home (I'm on the last one:)

Other than that I'm hungry and tired, but not at all unhappy. It is dark, but warm. I'm wearing my amazingly soft leather jacket (<3) and my newly shined boots. The Wombats - let's dance to Joy Division:) I'm thinking about hooking up with old friends in the town I'm on my way to. Also thinking about how to get more stuff going with the band, record, gigs, release show.... Mind jumping like pack of rabbits. Don't mind, tho:) Morten Abel - gravediggin Oh my there's so much music in the world. And I'm so glad to be here to take it in! Nightie night S

Thanks for a great night, everyone!

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:13:00 +0000

Last night we played a gig in Oslo, acoustic lineup, checking out Sturla's fabulous double bass-skills:)

To everyone who came:

Thanks for coming to share the experience with us! We had a great time on stage and you were a wonderful audience.

Thanks for putting money in the hat! :p

Thanks for wanting an extra song...

just - thanks:)

Did anyone take any pictures last night? I would love to get a few of them if you don't mind...

Silje xx

SATURDAY NIGHT! and stuff:)

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:32:00 +0000

Allright:)

So, there's a gig coming up. A nice, cosy, autumn-y gig in the place that makes the best hot cocoa in Oslo! I'm lucky enough to have Sturla on double bass, Goran on guitar and clarinet, and I'll hopefully use the venue's upright piano, if it isn't to badly out of tune...

We've been rehearsing in my living room with coffee and sofa available, and two shiny new songs are ready for saturday. And of course the other songs sound different as well with this line-up. So if you've heard us before, it's not gonna be boring, since we're not the same. Jupp.

The gig is saturday, 31st of October, in the café Copa Con Oro at Torshov, Oslo. Entry will be 50 kroner, and you can always check out the the Facebook Event, or Copa's homepage.

Hope to see you there!

Friday blurbs

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:08:00 +0000

Ah! It is friday night, I've sort of passed my practical exam as a music teacher, I've assembled a chest-of-drawers from IKEA to put all my cables and mics and little bits and bobs of music equipment in... and now while writing I'm listening to a TV broadcast of a big concert with Ane Brun:) Most things are good.

Right. So I've put my new website up here for y'all to see. I've done it all myself, and I'm very far from an expert web designer! So if anything looks weird in your browser, or doesn't seem to work as it's supposed to, or if you think something oughta be different, please do send me an email and let me know!

A lot of stuff is going on at the moment. We've gone a couple of rounds in the studio, recording the song "I don't care if you're beautiful". Jonas is doing the finishing touches in the mixing process these days, and the three other songs for the EP (which you've probably heard) have also been remixed and sound a bit different now:) Audun Strype has agreed to do the job of mastering the EP once the mixes are done, and I'm very excited about that!

I'm also going to have new photos taken with the wonderful Anki Grøthe. Had to cancel our original appointment due to the fact that I looked... well, slightly like a young Quasimodo after a small accident while jumping around at Balkan Beat Party last weekend... But my eyelid is now it's ordinary size and nearly healed up, so we can book a shoot again:)

On the less happy side of things I got my tax report today and I have to take all the money I was going to use for manufacturing the CD's and pay them to the government instead... now that's crap. But things will work out in the end; they always do. And next Saturday (the 31st of october) I'm playing a show with acoustic band setup @ Copa Con Oro, Oslo. Hope to see you there!

Ane Brun really sings like no one else. Have a listen to her this weekend, she's perfect for cold nights in warm apartments:)

xx Silje x

Sketches

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 11:33:00 +0000

Sketch for back of EP-cover... You like or not?

Launching new website - hooray! :)

noreply@blogger.com (Siljen) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:37:00 +0000

Welcome to siljekarlsen.com - thanks for dropping by!

This place is gonna be my online living room from now on, so please kick your shoes off, find the sofa, a cuppa tea or whatever and feel at home. Here you can listen to music, read the lyrics if you like, see the last pictures of us performing or just trying to look good, and find the links to my pages on facebook, myspace etc.

Hope you like what I've done with the place, and that you'll enjoy hanging out here occasionally!

xxx Silje x