Flush with orchestral sweeps and sparse vigils, with strains of the American South and the North Atlantic, the cosmopolitan sound of the instrumental acoustic ensemble Hawktail is not what you’d expect from a string-band. Since 2017, they have fostered a reputation as a rare ensemble of composers and instrumentalists able to take the listener on a journey without the use of words. Though at first glance it looks like a superpicker side-project, their all-original music is cohesive and unique, distinguishing them as an ensemble with a sound built from the ground up.

Each member of the group is an accomplished instrumentalist bringing strong individuality to the group. Fiddler Brittany Haas, whose 2004 self-titled release became the touchstone for a generation of old-time fiddlers, has since toured and recorded with the likes of Crooked Still, Steve Martin, David Rawlings, and Chris Thile’s “Live From Here”. Paul Kowert is well-known as the bassist for the Grammy-winning group Punch Brothers. His sensibilities provide a unique foundation for Hawktail’s music, drawing from his experience in bluegrass, classical and jazz. In Hawktail he plays the bass as you’ve never heard it before. A prolific artist, guitarist Jordan Tice has made 6 solo albums, evolving throughout yet always clearly himself. 

Together Brittany, Paul, and Jordan have made four critically-acclaimed records, beginning in 2014 as trio Haas Kowert Tice and evolving into Hawktail when they brought on mandolinist Dominick Leslie in 2017. Their latest “Place of Growth” is their most conceptual album, a journey through the natural world designed for a single sitting. They see each tune as a journey to take with their listeners as well as a path to travel together, discovering new ideas and new passions around every corner.

Väsen, Mikael Marin and Olov Johansson have, after 40 years of interaction and touring, refined their sound and their stage presence to the extent that today they are unique in their kind. With their playful and perfect interplay, they seem to defy the laws of physics in what appears to be a telepathic communication.

The music is intense and full of humor. They create their very own musical language which is as modern as it is ancient. With a foundation firmly rooted in the traditional music of Uppland, they have always looked curiously at new musical goals.

Väsen’s new album “Melliken” invites you to enter a colorful, expressive world in which Olov and Mikael’s music runs through the generations like a common thread. Traditional tunes are commented on by new compositions and the old tunes played by Gustaf Strutz, Melliken and Gustav Uggla gain wings and fly once more. A dark touch on the bass viola and the violoncello da spalla combines with silvery nyckelharpas to form a unique sound and interplay. Melliken is the latest stage in Väsen’s long musical journey which now spans almost four decades. As always, joy and love of the music are at the heart of it all.

Olov & Micke have played together since 1983 when they met at Oktoberstämman in Uppsala and discovered that they had a large common repertoire and a similar way of playing. It turned out that Micke had learned from Ivar Tallroth in Uppsala and Olov had learned from Curt Tallroth in Harbo. They had been introduced to the rich Bohlin / Tallroth tradition by the two brothers. Olov & Micke started playing intensively together and released their first recording, “Det rister i Örat,” in 1985. They have played an incredible amount together over the years in Väsen. Now they go on adventures among old fine musicians, stories and trad tunes and at the same time they continue to break new ground. They perform on a variety of stringed instruments, including a silverbasharpa, oktavharpa, three-rowed Nyckelharpa, violoncello da spalla and a blue electric viola.