Origin
The
band was formed as a four piece band in March 1994,
through a common desire to play Irish inspired music. Since then they
expanded, in 1998 they were eight, today it's a six-piece-band.. The musicians come from a variety of backgrounds,
including rock, heavy rock, new wave, country/roots, pop and folk music .
The Music
The Tramps market themselves under the title "Irish
folk music"; however their style has been inspired
by Scottish as well as Irish traditional music. Over the last few years
they have also let country & western music, played in their own special way,
into their repertoire. Don't be surprised if you hear the old Johnny Cash
classic "Folsom Prison Blues" played at a gig with The Tramps.They also
combine the elements of rock and roll with the harmonies
and rhythm of Celtic music. Apart from the obvious
sources of inspiration such as
The Dubliners,
The
Waterboys and
The Pogues they have also chosen songs from
lesser known artists in order to complete their repertoire. Today they
write most of their material on their own. Their upcoming album "Roadkill",
is a very representing document of where The Tramps are today.
Experience
Since May 1994 the band has steadily been building up a
reputation as an exciting live band. They have been
invited to play at various locations in Norway during the
past years. They have played as a support act for both
The Dubliners and Shane McGowan And The Popes during
their visits to Norway. The response from the press, the
radio stations and the audiences has been very promising.
In the beginning of June 1998 they played on one of
Norway's greatest and most successfull rock-festivals,
the Norwegian Wood festival in Oslo. They shared the
stage with some of the most important names in rock and
folk-music today, including
Van Morrison,
Lou Reed,
Bob
Dylan,
16 Horsepower,
Lisa Loeb, Neil Finn.
Silver
And Gold
On the 17th of November 1995 The Tramps released their debut CD "Silver
& Gold". It was recorded at
West Audio, Stavanger, Norway. It was produced by the
band themselves, in cooperation with Torbjørn Solum. The
CD contains 15 well known and lesser known folksongs and
melodies played in a way that has made The Tramps known
as one of the leading folk rock bands in Norway today.
'Silver And Gold' has been given very good reviews in
various Norwegian newspapers and music magazines.
St.Patrick's
Day
On Saturday, March 15th 1997, The Tramps hosted a concert
at Sjøhusene in Stavanger. In front of a thousand
people the band and various guest artists played for more
than two hours. The whole show was recorded onto DAT, in
other words direct to two track tape, thus leaving out
any possibilities of overdubs or correcting mistakes. The
band later pressed a CD of the event,
and mailed a copy to every person who attended the
concert that night, free of charge. This St. Patrick's
Day celebration was repeated on the same location in
March 1998, March 1999 and March 2000, March 2001 and March 2002.
Fireland
During May 1997 The Tramps recorded their second album in
PUK Recording
Studios, Gjerlev, Denmark. It was recorded and produced by The Tramps in
cooperation with Lars Nissen. The album was given the title
"Fireland". It was a natural follow-up to "Silver And Gold", apart from
the fact that it contained more songs written by the members of the band.
In fact, half of the songs were The Tramps' own material. 'Fireland' was
released on February 6th,1998.
Halfway to the moon
It was released on March the 13th in the
year 2000. It contains 13 songs which is the bands own material only.
"Halfway to the moon" was recorded in Hitsville Recording
Studio, Oslo, and was produced by Eivind Skovdahl who has
previously worked with artists like A-ha, Ace of Base and Seigmen.
Roadkill
It was recorded on March 16, 2002
in front of a live audience at Sjøhusene, Stavanger. It was released on
October the 7th, 2002. The recording represents The Tramps at
it's best, giving the audience exactly what they want, rocking up-tempo
reels and jigs mixed with emotional ballads and traditional irish folk.
It also contains brilliant contributions from artists and musicians like
Rita Eriksen, Ole Zweidorff, and Rune Helland.
Best
of The Tramps
Released in May 2004, the title says it all, doesn't it?
Future
plans
In the autumn and winter of the year 2010 /2011 The Tramps will be
playing at different locations in Norway, some new pubs
and live venues and some of the places they've visited
before (Check out the
Live-dates
section to see when they're coming to a town near you).
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The
Band Members:
Rune Larsen: lead vocals
Stian Tønnesen:
mandolin, banjo, backing vocals
Hans Wassvik:
bass,didjeridoo
Frank Eriksen:
guitars
Dag Sindre Vagle:
bouzouki, flutes, vocals
Morten Jackman:
drums, percussion
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Andy McLarney played guitar, whistles and did backing vocals on
Silver and Gold and Fireland. He left band in 1998. |
Pete Johansen played the fiddle on Silver and Gold, Fireland
and Halfway to the Moon. He left the band in October 2000. |
Einar
Hognestad did acoustic guitars on Silver and Gold, Fireland and
Halfway to the moon. He left the band
in August, 2000. |
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