On Friday the “Hallelujah buddies” will be out on the road again. “Those who believe we can relive the success of 2006 must have a hole in the head,” says Espen Lind.

Through the garage doors, in a well equipped studio in Storo in Oslo came the sounds of the legendary rock classic “Brown Sugar”. No, it was not The Rolling Stones who had made a surprise visit to the city. It is Espen Lind, Kurt Nilsen, Alejandro Fuentes and Askil Holm, who the media have christened both ”Hallelujah and the New Guitar Buddies”, who are intensively practising for their new tour.

FUN

They will make a quick get away with two concerts in Slemmestad on Friday and Saturday this week, while the ”official” premiere is in Oslo Spektrum on Saturday, 9th May.

”Our outlook has always been the same ”is it fun to play these songs live?”. We have no other criteria than that we have fun. Had we thought of anymore, we would have come up with a real band name from the very beginning,” says Espen Lind.

The last time the four got together it became more than just fun. It started as just a Christmas event arranged by their manager Jan Fredrik Karlsen, but ended up being one of Norway’s biggest music successes of all time.

After they performed an acoustic version of the Leonard Cohen song ”Hallelujah” on prime time TV on NRK they whole thing exploded big time.

HUGE SALES

The result ended in a tour for over 150,000 people, a live concert album which sold an unbelievable 260,000 copies and topped the VG charts for 13 weeks, and ended with a concert DVD which sold 50,000 copies.

These figures may not be reached again with ”Hallelujah Live Volume 2”, as both the tour and the new album, which will be recorded at the Spektrum concert next Saturday will be called.

Of course we realise this, especially as the music industry has changed so much in the past three years and don’t expect the same sales figures. Those who believe we can relive the success of 2006 must have a hole in the head. Our expectations are way under that,” says Espen Lind.

”Of course, we won’t say no should it happen again. But I have to admit it is quite exciting to see what will happen this time. I have practised harder than any time in the past,” says Kurt Nilsen.

MIXTURE

A list of over 100 potential songs has been narrowed down to around 35, a mixture of cover songs and their own songs, which should spread out over a good two hour concert.

”Brown Sugar” has been named, “Handle With Care” by The Traveling Wilburys and “Run To You” of Bryan Adams will be there too, as well as “Rocks” by Primal Scream and “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon.

”We have gone further back to our roots this time,” says Askil Holm.

Some Norwegian songs will be there too, but that is a secret.

”But I will be singing them in real Bergen dialect. Always that,” says Kurt Nilsen.

He has experienced a solid success with his country album “Rise To The Occasion” since the last time. Espen Lind has received the Spellemann of the Year prize after his solo album “Army Of One”, while it has been rather quiet for Alejandro Fuentes and Askil Holm.

CRITICS

After the mega success in 2006, they chose to go back to their solo careers.

”We all met for the first time in January this year to find out if this would be something that may happen again. We are four very different people, and weren’t sure if it would work again, but it soon showed that we have a chemistry together and our voices too.”

”And then the critics come along saying that you are just doing it for the money?

”Yes, but that has been said right from the start of the live project in 2006, and people have a right to believe that if they want. We always say that the reason we do this is for the fun and will do so till we are blue in the face,” says Espen Lind.

”And the fact is that we do appeal to a lot of the people out there, even though critics may say differently.”

Source: Aftenposten, Tuesday, 28th April 2009