In 2007 the former music teacher Tom Roger Aadland released his debut album “Obviously Embraced”. Since then he’s released four more albums, and especially “Blod På Spora” (2009), a translation of Bob Dylan’s “Blood On The Tracks” (1975), contributed to more people noticing the Western Poet. Wednesday February 4th he played at Bastard Bar in Tromsø. Hurradion had the privilege of talking to the man himself.
Have you got a closet full of suits backstage when you tour?
No, there’s just one suit. It holds together until it doesn’t!
Could you tell me who and what Tom Roger Aadland is?
Musically I’m a lot of things. I am a product of the fact that I’ve been in touch with many different forms of music. I grew up with the Norwegian folk wave and got in touch with heavier rock at 13-14. I played the classical guitar from I was quite small and later took a classical music education.
I’ve been fond of blues and jazz for a long time, and I’ve listened to a lot of different music, but what I’m doing now I’ve chosen to keep fairly basic and direct; “three chords and the truth” can get you a long way, and I like that.
What kind of music did you rehearse when you were younger?
Mostly classical music. When it came to studying, I made a choice: if I learn a profession, it should be classical music. I wanted to learn classical theory; I wanted rock to be a free zone where I didn’t learn from others, even though of course things have seeped in. I feel it has worked for me. I believe it’s important to have a free zone where you can explore and keep a playful relationship to music.
Did anybody influence your decision to become an artist?
The biggest driving force was probably that I felt the need to find more time to write my own lyrics and melodies. You could call it a steam boiler effect: things bubbled and boiled and wanted to come out. I remember the time when I recorded and released my debut album in Ireland. It was very cool getting the cover and production together, but the biggest emotion was some sort of relief over getting an outlet for the thoughts and movements inside of me.
How was it working on the debut album?
A lot of things were great about that album. It was the result of a four year period when I travelled to Ireland. I was embraced by very good people, musical and generous people. Of course it was hard work; releasing an album takes its toll also financially. In hindsight I feel gratitude towards those people and it is a time I remember well.
Is there a different Tom Roger we hear on the first album than on your new one?
Actually I feel that my new album shares a lot of common ground with my first one. There are some lines that go back here. I feel those two albums resemble one another the most, they are both musically varied. You can find both classical and rock there. My albums in between those (“Det Du Aldri Sa” 2011, “Fløyel Og Stål” 2012) have more of a folksy, acoustic leaning. You could say that I express some of the same things on the new album as I did on my first one. The difference is that I understand the production process better now, and I have developed as a singer.
It’s difficult mentioning Tom Roger Aadland without mentioning Bob Dylan. About 35 years between Blod På Spora and Blood On The Tracks. Could you tell us about where the inspiration for this project came from?
It all began with me translating different things mostly for own pleasure. Partly as linguistic training, partly just to test things out. I translated some Shakespeare sonnets, but none of this was meant for the public.
Then the idea of taking a complete Dylan album just fell into my head. The usual type of translated albums are “greatest hits” albums (like “Cohen in Norwegian” from 1993), but I thought it might be interesting translating the whole statement that “Blood On The Tracks” was. What’s it like when you translate it into Norwegian, one generation later? I thought that might be a cool project that few people would ever notice, so no one was more surprised than me when the reports from reviewers and audiences were so good.
If we reverse this; do you think Dylan could have translated your songs into English (given he understood Norwegian)?
I believe he could. I have tried translating my own lyrics both ways, and I find it pretty hard. Perhaps it’s a advantage having someone coming in to translate? Perhaps it’s easier to free yourself from the original when you haven’t written it yourself.
Was there a thought behind translating the album into Norwegian Nynorsk (the minority language)? Could you have written the same into Norwegian Bokmål (the majority language).
Yes, I think so. I think the desicion of translating it into Nynorsk was both a gut feeling and a coincidence, but then I grew up learning Nynorsk on the west coast. It is also a very good language for singing, with a great poetic tradition. I remember one idea was to stress what you might call the “classical element” in Dylan’s lyrics. Some think Dylan has a cool, hip language. I believe this is not the case. He often writes about rough scenes, but his language is very neutral, almost with a journalist tone. It’s hardly beat poetry, it’s much more stringent.
Do you have a special routine when you perform your music? Many artists feel that what they do is very personal and intimate.
I feel it’s double-sided. My lyrics are honest, and when I choose to create characters, these are people I can relate to. But when I’m on stage, I don’t feel that here is Tom Roger Aadland from Vikebygd ready to put his soul on a plate for the audience. In a way I feel that what I sing about is just as personal for the audience as it is for me.
I believe that’s the explanation to how I can write quite heavy lyrics. People attach different things to songs. Memories and emotions people in the audience have are just as important as my own.
Do you have any preferences regarding format? Have you become a part of the streaming wave or are you old school vinyl?
I think I’m both. I’m an old vinyl freak, although I haven’t got a great stereo. At the same time, I’ve used WiMP and Spotify quite a lot the last years. Streaming turns you into a different sort of listener. I rarely listen through a full album when I stream music. It annoys me, but perhaps one should just get used to it.
Being an experienced musician, do you still learn new things?
My goal is to continue learning and developing. I’ve certainly developed as a singer. Especially on the new album I’ve taken a big leap. Producer Lars Voldsdal (who’s worked with Madrugada and Hellbillies) was great at realizing my potential. He made me lower my shoulders when needed, and pushed me when necessary.
One senses a sort of a storyteller role on this album. Do you imagine an audience when you record your songs?
I get some pictures in my head when I write, but on the new album I feel many of the songs were very inspired. Decisions were taken on gut feeling, and the lines often came to me. I don’t make a decision to sit down and write a song. The way this album is written is related to what Robert Johnson was doing, I feel; storytelling, yes, but also independent scenes that still somehow connect. It’s not linear, things can be going on at different points in time and space.
The single “Like til mi dør” is one of the highlights of the album. Who is this “you” that you sing about?
It is not about a historic person in my life. Often you feel the need to have a counterpart in a text, and the song is being sung to a person the character telling the story has spent time with. How serious this relationship was, is unclear, but I feel the storyteller is left with many positive feelings and with gratitude.
Actually we just made a music video for this song, and we started talking about what the song was really about. We agreed that this “you” helped our storyteller, but it took some time for him to actually make use of the help. People are allowed to interpret for themselves. I’ve had people coming up to me after a concert, with stronger emotions and experiences connected to my songs than I could imagine.
Have you already started thinking about your next project?
It’s in the back of my head. I’m very happy with this album, and it’s tempting to follow that path further, but you could also think that the next album should be a reaction or it should explore something entirely different. “Rapport Frå Eit Grensehotell” (out now) is rather dark and full of longing. Perhaps the next album should be positive, full of love duets. I haven’t decided yet, but most important is to stay at the level of expressiveness that I have on this album.