Sweden’s New Valley String Band got together in much the same manner as musicians do anywhere in the world. It’s three members, Adam Bülow on fiddle, Michael Nyberg on guitar, and Lukas Lindberg on banjo, met and started playing together in high school at Lunnevad Folkhögskola, and continued on in college at Malmö Academy of Music.
Their debut album, New Valley, was released last summer, nicely highlighting their penchant for blending Appalachian old time sounds with Nordic folk and fiddle music. And like old time musicians everywhere, fiddler Bülow tells us that while they try to maintain and share that tradition as it has come to them, they also like to put their individual mark on each piece, as they do in their video of Drunken Hiccup, which is included on the album.
“The song is inspired mainly by a version of Drunken Hiccup I found in Alan Lomax’s archive. On the source recording Hobart Smith was playing and singing, in our version I have changed around some lyrics, and I also play the tune a bit like I would play a Swedish Walts.
The video recording was made in the middle of summer outside of Malmö. We had a great time recording it an afternoon in May, when summer was at its best.”
Enjoy the Swedish countryside while you listen to New Valley String Band ply their trade.
Drunken Hiccup, and the full New Valley album, are available now from popular download and streaming services online.
