Olav Larsen: Bio

Olav Larsen - Singer/songwriter

"Won't you please tell the man I didn't kill anyone. No I'm just tryin' to have me some fun" John Prine
In Scandinavia, they’ve been calling Olav Larsen the “out of nowhere star” as if he were a super nova that had suddenly appeared in the heavens.

Overnight sensation is another way to describe the impact he made with the release of a surprise debut CD that established him as a force to be reckoned with almost overnight.

When ‘Love’s Come To Town’ was unveiled on his home turf in Norway it seemed as if it woke some reviewers from a deep slumber. It earned more “wows” than any wonder of the world.

Olav got them all talking, and in the buzz generated, he has been compared to everyone from Ray Davies and Mark Olson to Lloyd Cole and Arlo Guthrie.

He’s a quirky songster with a light, effervescent touch and a gift for subtle touches in the studio.

His band is a barrelhouse of fun with fiddle, harmonica, banjo, pedal steel, piano, Telecaster, bass, accordion and dobro, all together tight and happy.

Olav was raised in the Norwegian port of Stavanger and introduced to his father’s collection of blues greats including Blind Willie McTell and Robert Johnson.

As he began to fine-tune his own tastes it was a healthy diet of Guy Clark, John Prine, Steve Goodman and Townes Van Zandt that he first feasted on before turning his attentions more recently to Bright Eyes and Howe Gelb.

Olav has spent the past few months rehearsing brand new material for his follow-up album and a release date in mid-2008 is envisaged.

These guys just love to play and there is always a sprinkling of material by others they admire in the set each time they perform. They have a heart-warming video slot called Songs We Wish Were Ours on Youtube, started “just for fun” and updated each month.

UK Americana mag, Maverick gave ‘Love’s Come To Town’ a 5-star review and predicted that Olav and his merry band would soon be pulling big crowds to the bigger venues.

Who are we to disagree?

Torje Fanebust Ås - Bass & "Elvis jumps"

"You don't have to be rich to be my girl" Prince
Before becoming a famous bass player Torje attended Lundehaugen music college, where he also thought the instrument to hopeful students eager to learn this art form from a star. He's also studied music at Kristiansand music conservatory, with bass off course as his main instrument. He’s played with Rabalder, Wrapped to Lindy, Marble Arch and local big bands. Today he works at and runs Platekompaniet (Sandnes), a national record store chain, where he tries to sell quality music to people who are not aware of exactly that, quality music.

Erlend Aasland - Guitars, banjo, pedal-steel

"Ability to play the banjo soon places one in a social position to pick and choose from scores of social invitations. Everywhere, the banjoist is assured of a hearty welcome." Unknown from the 1920's
Erlend is first of all a guitarist, but in The Alabama Rodeo Stars he also plays around with the banjo and the pedal steel guitar. If this wasn't enough he very often helps Jonny with the backing vocals. Needless to say that he always delivers, not only legendary guitar solos but also right on the note perfect harmony vocals. Like Torje he also attended Lundehaugen music college. Although he wasn't famous back then he's reached a new dimension of rock stardom after having reinvented the wheel for a Norwegian rocket science company (SaberTech). Erlend also works as an arranger. He's to most people known as the guy who wrote the brass arrangements to “Love’s come to town”.
PS: Erlend is a finger picking, pedal playing son of a gun music machine from out of a whole other dimension!!!

Jonny Engelsvoll - Piano, accordion & organ

"If I hear another line dance song I think I'm going to puke." Merle Haggard
Jonny sings background vocals, plays the piano, the organ, the accordion and any other instrument he finds laying around. He's been playing the piano for more than 20 years, and has the last ten years played with a lot of different bands, including his pet project “Elfinn Bæn”: An ultra-space-experiment band. Jonny likes to describe himself as happy, political oblivious, happy heavy drinker and heterosexual, and he is currently living at Klepp Station (not to far from Gand Valley), where he was born a gray friday 13. April 1977. As far as he knows he's got two officially known kids, and a gorgeous girlfriend who's 185 cm tall. Jonny is Norway known as the "hitter". No one can hit a high harmony note like this sun of a gun!

Arne Andersen - Drums & percussions

"Isac! If you eat to much chocolate you'll end up as brown as Olav!" Arne Andersen to his son Isac
Arne started to play the drums in the local school band when he was 12. Give him two sticks and he'll drum on anything that will produce what he refers to as being a beautiful sound. He's color blind but listens to music with both ears. Besides playing drums Arne is well known inventor. For instance he invented the portable drum kit we use when touring our acoustic setting. As we're speaking, Arne is building a new rehearsal house for the band! We've beens speaking for five years now.....The band probably have to rehearse at Olav's chicken farm a couple of more years!
Arne himself lives at Voll with his wife and two fantastic kids. Together they all sing-a-long to whatever old family tune they find singable!

Lillian Hodne - Fiddle

"Friends are like fiddle strings; they must not be screwed too tight." H. G. Bohn
"FIDDLE, n. An instrument to tickle human ears by friction of a horse's tail on the entrails of a cat." Ambrose Bierce
Lillian Hodne is the last branch on The Alabama Rodeo Stars (fruit) tree. She joined us on a regular basis way back in 2008, and since then we've become an even better band.
Lillian grew up on a farm on a island called Bru in Rennesøy, Norway that is. She wasn't born with a fiddle in her hand, but took to playing the instrument at an early age. She attended the same high school as Torje and Erlend and continued her musical education at the Oslo music college. Allthough not the type to sit around and fiddle to much with her fiddle(?) she did fiddle with her fiddle with a bunch of local bands. One band in particular was Tumbleweed, and it was after having seen her with them that I met Lillian and asked her if she wanted to play a gig or two with us.
The rest is as they say history!