01	Det Brinner En Eld						05:58
	02	Polska Fran Bohuslan						02:09
	03	Tre Heliga Mo						03:21
	04	Kom Helige Ande						04:50
	05	1:A Augusti						02:25
	06	Fjalar						06:01
	07	Klyftileken						02:50
	08	Thinner						02:09
	09	Norwegian Mood						05:37
	10	Forspel						01:57
	11	Fyra Flickor/11b. Etterspel						05:24
	12	Solen						05:56

Fjalar

Recorded summer 2001 in Studio 12, Sveriges Radio Goteborg by Lars Diedricson. Produced and Arranged by Groupa. Executive Producer Ann-Marie Beckman-Forsberg. Mixed in Bohus Sound Recording by Ake Linton, Jonas Simonsson and Rickard Astrom, except for tracks 4, 5 and 9, mixed in 7 etg, Oslo by Reidar Skar and Terje Isungset. Mastered in Bohus Sound Recording by Dragan Tanascovic and Rickard Astrom. Additional electronics in track 9 by Reidar Skar. Pianotuning Bengt Eriksson. Backing vocals track 3 Lars Diedricson. Cover design Pelle@802.com. Photo Jan Nordberg. Produced with support by the Swedish national council for cultural affairs.
http://home.swipnet.se/groupa


1 Det brinner en eld
Music: Sofia Karlssson/Terje Isungset
Lyrics: Trad/Sofia Karlsson/Ulrika Boden

2 Polska fran Bohuslan
Music: Trad adopted from Niklas Olsson

3 Tre heliga mo
Music: Mats Eden/Trad adopted from Olmorts Olof "Spaken" Svensson
Lyrics: Trad from Varmland

4 Kom helige ande
(Original title: Kom helge and)
Music: Groupa/ in tradition after Finn-Karin, adopted after Susanne Rosenberg
Lyrics: Trad

5 1:a Augusti
Music: Rickard Astrom

6 Fjalar
Music: Mats Eden

7 Klyftileken
Music: Trad adopted from Lejsme Per Larsson

8 Thinner
Music: Mats Eden/Trad Orsa Brudmarsch

9 Norwegian Mood
Music: Terje Isungset

10 Forspel
Music: Jonas Simonsson

11 Fyra flickor
Music: Trad/Terje Isungset
Lyrics: Trad
11b Etterspel
Music : Terje Isungset
12 Solen
Music: Jonas Simonsson/Ingrid Brannstrom
Lyrics: Par Lagerkvist



Groupa
Formed 1980 in Sweden

Incorporating modern instrumentation and imaginative improvisation, Groupa has taken a contemporary-minded approach to the folk music of Sweden. Led by drone fiddle, viola and accordion player Mats Eden, the group has been at the forefront of the Swedish folk revival for more than two decades. While Rock'N'Reel magazine claims that Groupa "will challenge people's preconceptions of Swedish music", Roots World suggest that the band "achieves near perfection as they go further afield without leaving the ancient muse behind". In an early 1990s interview, Eden explained Groupa 's objective when he said, "each of us has in his own way been searching for new means of expression within the range of traditional music. Having deep knowledge of these old methods has given us a secure base from which to explore new artistic possibilities".
Groupa's innovative sound has made them extremely popular in their homeland. Their albums, Manskatt, released in 1991, and Imeland, released in 1996, received Swedish Grammy awards. In 1992, Eden was appointed "composer of the year" at the Musik Vid Siljian festival. Eden has balanced his involvement with Groupa by playing with the Nordic Project and as a soloist.

Several former members of Groupa have gone on to perform with top-notch Swedish folk-rock bands. Lena Willemark and Ale Moller continue to play with Frifot and the Nordan Project, a group that also features Mats Eden. Lute and guitar player Totte Mattson is a founding member of Hedningarna. Gustav Hylen performs with Hoven Droven.

The backbone of Groupa continues to be Mats Eden. A native of Varmland, Sweden, a small town near the border with Norway, Eden studied composition at Musikhoyskole (the Norwegian Academy of Music) in Oslo. In 1979, Eden was named Riksspelman (master musician).

Groupa went through a drastic personnel change, in 1990, when Matteson, Willemark and recorder and bass clarinet player Bill McChesney left the band. The current group features Eden, flute and bass saxophone player Jonas Simonson, keyboardist Rikard Astrom, percussionist Terje Tsungset and beautiful vocalist Sofia Karlsson. - Craig Harris


1983 Av Bara Farten Northside
1985 Vildhonung Northside
1988 Utan Sans Northside
1991 Manskratt Northside
1995 Imeland Amigo Musik
1999 Lavalek Northside

1993 Av Bara Farten/Vildhonung Amigo
1998 Fifteen Years Northside



Groupa
Lavalek
Northside - US (www.noside.com) / Xource (www.mnw.se)
The fusion of folk and technology, the merging of old styles and new attitudes, is a process with deep pitfalls but potential high returns. In lesser hands than this ensemble the pitfalls can be painfully obvious. Groupa, however, has been rising to the challenge for 16 years. Jonas Simonson's flutes, Rickard Astrom's acoustic and electric keyboards and Mats Eden's strings (and occasional melodeon) have forged new turf for both folk and "new music" in Sweden. Last year they added a new percussionist to the lineup, the formidable Terje Isungset from Norway, who adds a rough-hewn edge to the band's sound. This year they added singer Sofie Karlsson, their first full time singer (they did one album with Lena Willemark).

Lavalek is the most expansive and curious excursion the band has ever taken, working with a broader ambiance, an interesting mix of gentle, natural acoustics and aggressive use of percussion and electric keyboards. Even their excursion into 70's funk on the title track is marked by humor and creative spark that keeps it from mere parody or imitation. Karlsson's voice fits the group well, as she shifts from folk ballad to wailing, wordless sounds with the same deftness as the other musicians. Whether it is an austere ballad like "Berg och Dalar," a love song that highlights Karlsson's beautiful vocals, or a driving blast like "Ludgo-Johan," a jaunty folk dance with a pounding rhythm section, the record delivers surprises and delights. Lavalek marks something of a production coup for Groupa; their collaboration with Norwegian musician/producer Karl Seglem finds remarkable secrets in the music and hurls them into the light. This record could be a blueprint for a lot of other bands who think that "modernizing" is a goal unto itself. Groupa knows how to embrace the ancient muse while roaring forward. - CF