KjøleFolken, part 2

The panel discussion after the showing of BTMD featured Larry B, Hilde Hefte and Kjetil Nordhus who confirmed that independent musicians face similar challenges all over the world. Larry did point out that there are 1,000+ independent music labels in Norway which is pretty significant for a country of only 4.5 million people. One of them is Little Label which was begun by my host Daniel Norgard as a way to promote NUD and has evolved into both a home for other other up & coming bands and a model for other music entrepreneurs.

The next part of the conference required a short bus ride. We all loaded onto the travelbus and set off for Grimstad, the home of Henrik Ibsen Norway's most globally recognized dramatist...his are the plays that actors the world over aspire to perfom, including Peer Gynt, A Doll's House, Hedda Gabler, An Enemy of the People and many others. On the way to Grimstad, the tourbus took an unexpected turn into an apparently abandoned warehouse district & pulled into one of the warehouses. The doors were swiftly closed behind us and we were in complete darkness. Suddenly Devo-like music sounded and eerie lights appeared and we could see that there were strangely garbed aliens slowly moving down the length of the bus holding red lights. The doors of the bus swooshed open and a couple of people entered, one holding a light, the other holding a clipboard. They peered into each set of seats as if looking for an escapee, the lead investigator [who had dreadlocks to add to the mystery, lol] leaned close to me as if to take me out of my seat but was stopped by a firm 'Nein!' of his investigative partner. They then went back to the front of the bus, grabbed a man out of the front seat and left the vehicle. The doors to the hanger opened and we quickly got back on the road to Grimstad & the rest of that day's adventure.

rg