Next we are heading back into Sweden to the province of Jämtland and its capital city of Östersund.
Folk band Triakel was founded in 1995 following a lost bet. The forfeit was that Kjell-Erik Eriksson and Janne Strömstedt had to perform using fiddle and harmonium only. The combination was so successful that they added singer Emma Härdelin and decided to continue. They perform mostly traditional songs from their home region. The name Triakel is the local name for liquorice (oh boy, I'm totally addicted to Swedish liquorice! Anybody know any dealers of this stuff?). Anyway, here is a song from their 2019 album Händelser I Nord (Real Life Stories from the North) called Sparvens Visa:
Kjell-Erik Eriksson is also involved with folk-rock outfit Hoven Droven, which was established in 1989. Their name roughly translates as helter skelter or whatever in the Jamtish dialect. They combine Swedish folk with some rocky and jazzy elements. Here's a song from their 2021 album Trad called Evertsberg:
Fiddler Elin Jonsson was born in Strömsund in northern Jämtland. She grew up in a family of musicians and apart from the traditional tunes of her homeland she is inspired by every day life experiences like making coffee in the forest or watching documentaries about the sea. She uses a loop station to enhance her music. Here is a tune from her 2021 album Drömmaren called Beluga:
Next we are heading for the county of Västernorrland, where folk rock band Garmarna were formed in the city of Sundsvall in 1990. They veered in various directions over the years including rock, trip hop and dark Nordic, but always with their roots in Swedish folk. Here is the opening track to their 2020 album Förbundet called Ramunder:
Next we head for the county of Västerbotten and our first stop here is the university town of Umeå. This where the all female a cappella folk quartet Kraja was formed in 2002. Their repertoire comprises Swedish folk songs, love songs, humorous songs, dance lilts and chorales. Their name translates as the place you long for in the Sámi language. Here is a song from their 2020 album Vinter called Det är en ros utsprungen:
I mentioned Nyckelharpa player Erik Rydvall last time out as part of the Swedish/Norwegian duo Rydvall/Mjelva. Rydvall is originally from somewhere in Västerbotten. Here is another track from their 2019 album Vårvindar Friska called Klunkelåtten:
Finally we are heading north of the county to the town of Storuman, which is also part of the province of Lapland. This is where Sámi singer/songwriter Katarina Barruk was born in 1994. She is one of literally a handful of native speakers of the critically endangered Ume Sámi language and says her and her brother might be the last 2 of their generation. She has made it her mission to revive the language and writes all her songs in it. She now spends her time between Storuman and Umeå teaching and performing. Her music combines Sámi joiking with indie pop. Here is a live version of a song from her 2022 album Ruhttuo (Boreal Forest) called Niäguoh:
