tag:johnandsofie.com,2005:/blogs/blog?p=2Blog2022-04-20T10:40:10+02:00John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssonfalsetag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028702019-02-11T01:00:00+01:002020-03-16T02:37:35+01:00How to help your favourite artists for free! Lesson 2: youtube!<p>If you'd like to help your favourite artists for FREE there is a lot you can do, and it's so appreciated, it really helps! <3</p>
<p><strong>YOUTUBE:</strong></p>
<p>1) On the artist's channel: a) click "subscribe", and b) remember to click on the bell so that you actually get notified when the artist uploads new content!</p>
<p>2) On individual videos: like, leave a comment, and share! It's really easy to share, just click "share" (on the right underneath the video), and from there you can directly share the video to e.g. Facebook and Twitter, or copy the link so that you can share it however you want. </p>
<p>3) You can also add videos to your own playlist(s) by clicking "save", also to the right just under the video.</p>
<p>We, and all other artists out there, will LOVE you for any of these steps that you carry out! Thank you so much! <3</p>
<p>Next time: FACEBOOK!</p>John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028692018-10-13T02:00:00+02:002022-04-20T10:40:10+02:00How to help your favourite artists for free! Lesson 1: Spotify!
<p>It's a jungle out there! So many different platforms and so much liking and sharing and following to do.... We are trying to understand it all at the moment, as we are attempting to get our new single/video Angelo (<a title="The Major Seconds on Spotify" href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/5z9Qp0lDFjkuB76lIhgW01?si=O8t_vbtcQ9SQjwIVGiXz4A" target="_blank" data-imported="1">https://open.spotify.com/artist/5z9Qp0lDFjkuB76lIhgW01?si=O8t_vbtcQ9SQjwIVGiXz4A</a>) out there, so we wanted to share some of the knowledge we've gained with you. If you'd like to help your favourite artists for FREE there is a lot you can do, and it's so appreciated, it really helps! <3</p>
<p><strong>SPOTIFY:</strong></p>
<p>Here you can follow and share on many different levels!</p>
<p>1) The artist profile: 1) "follow", and 2) click on the three dots in a circle to the right of the "follow"/"following" button to share! You can share on many different platforms - the more the better for the artist!</p>
<p>2) Albums/EPs/singles: 1) click "save" to save the album/EP/single to your library, and 2) click on the three dots in a circle to the right of the "save"/"saved" button to share!</p>
<p>3) Individual songs: 1) Click the plus sign to the left of the title, or the three dots to the right of the title, to save the song to your library (if there's a tick to the left of the title instead of a plus sign you have already added the song to your library by saving the whole album/EP/the single), 2) click on the three dots to the right of the title to share the track, and 3) click the three dots to the right of the title to add the song to a playlist of your own.</p>
<p>4) Artist playlists: 1) hover the cursor over the playlist cover image and either click on the plus sign to the left of the play button or the three dots to the right of the play button to follow the playlist, and 2) click on the three dots to the right of the playlist to share. </p>
<p>Phew, that's a lot.... But seriously, we, and any other artist out there, will LOVE you for any of those steps that you manage to carry out! Thank you so much! <3</p>
<p>Next time: YOUTUBE!</p>
<p></p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028682018-09-23T02:00:00+02:002021-11-03T15:20:43+01:00The true heroes of the music industry
<p>One question often posed to musicians is: what would you like to see in your local area that would help you as a musician? The answer is often this: more music venues. I would have a different reply though: more people who come out and listen to music! We find that there are many places to play here in Dalarna, where we live, but the problem is often that it's hard for the venues to attract an audience, and it's especially hard to attract a paying audience, so that us musicians can get paid for our work. Therefore, the real heroes of the music industry are the people who tirelessly go on arranging cultural events, despite all the difficulties, and the people who come out to listen, and sometimes even pay to listen! YOU are the people who make this cultural world go around, you are the heroes, and I hope you understand how important you are to culture! Thank you! <3</p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028672018-09-06T02:00:00+02:002018-09-06T07:12:30+02:00How to help a musician - for free!
<p>If you appreciate somebody's music, there is a really great way to help that artist, and the best thing is that it's free: share, comment, watch, follow, subscribe, and join the mailing list! For us DIY musicians, who rely on ourselves in everything we do, people sharing and noticing all the work and effort we spend putting out music and videos etc warms the heart! And furthermore, it actually really helps us, because our material gets put in front of other people who might not have discovered us otherwise... So THANK YOU for every little thing you do to help us - we really appreciate it! <3</p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028662018-05-06T02:00:00+02:002019-04-03T07:16:52+02:00Some photos from the filming of the DALARNA video!
<p>On a sunny late winter's day, we packed ourselves, all our gear, and the dog, onto Roland Skogmo's (aka Bionic Burp: <a title="Bionic Burp on youtube" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Gluebone" target="_blank" data-imported="1">https://www.youtube.com/user/Gluebone</a>) snow scooter and headed out into the wilderness of Dala-dalarna, Sweden, just outside Rörbäcksnäs, near the border to Norway, to film the official video for our new song DALARNA. Here are some photos from that beautiful day! PS. You can watch the finished video here: <a title="Dalarna video on youtube" href="https://youtu.be/jEHXOc68R3o" target="_blank" data-imported="1">https://youtu.be/jEHXOc68R3o</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/1d0ff12c5e2a21a34b1a905e38ac11f2491d96d1/original/img-7678.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjgzeDUxMiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="512" width="683" /> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/358d178af05f891ba715c23a3fa421f40ef1b403/original/img-7694.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Njg0eDUxMyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="513" width="684" /> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/97c6837d67a46d15f292c50b0754b1a647e317c1/original/img-7702.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Njg0eDUxMyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="513" width="684" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/35412ecb3e968c833f52a0ccf00541a5e6cd1c52/original/img-7709.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjgzeDUxMiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="512" width="683" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/01e0b1252167c443a4fe893b3f136c660e898417/original/img-7725.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Njg0eDUxMyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="513" width="684" /> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/331deeca73981d06720882ed0eab8eb20da37483/original/img-7733.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Njg1eDkxMyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="913" width="685" /> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/c3918dcb3abab2daff13fe628b9f3532de3e8304/original/img-7738.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Njg5eDkxOCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="918" width="689" /> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/5bebc8588deca9b9adc39cd14c9661eb4bf95ed3/original/img-7754.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjkyeDUxOSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="519" width="692" /> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/38ef681cd26d6726c3a0311642695c939bbb9908/original/img-7768.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjkzeDkyNCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="924" width="693" /> </p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028652017-08-02T02:00:00+02:002017-08-02T16:16:14+02:00The Major Seconds at the Putte i Parken festival 2017 in Leksand
<p>Hi there! We just uploaded our set from the Putte i Parken festival in Leksand with <a class="profileLink" title="The Major Seconds website" href="http://www.themajorseconds.com" target="_blank" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/page.php?id=1792704847626244&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-imported="1">The Major Seconds</a> a couple of weeks ago - click on the link below to listen! The songs are: 1) Angelo 2) Rise with the River 3) Leaving Carolina 4) Turning a Corner - all written by John! Hope you like - it would be great to hear what you think! <span class="_47e3 _5mfr" title="heart emoticon"><span class="_7oe"><3</span></span> On organ and vocals: Emil Karl Roland Sjölin, and on drums and vocals: Anton Igelström. These guys are so fabulous - we are so proud and happy and grateful to get to play music on stage with them...... <span class="_47e3 _5mfr" title="heart emoticon"><span class="_7oe"><3</span></span> Tack!! This festival was such a great experience for us: big stage, fantastic sound, good organisation, lovely audience, and beautiful sunshine! Thank you Dalapop for inviting us to play! <span class="_47e3 _5mfr" title="heart emoticon"><span class="_7oe"><3</span></span></p>
<p><a title="The Major Seconds live at Putte i Parken 2017 in Leksand" href="https://soundcloud.com/johnandsofie/the-major-seconds-putte-i-parken-2017" target="_blank" data-imported="1">https://soundcloud.com/johnandsofie/the-major-seconds-putte-i-parken-2017</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028642017-04-05T02:00:00+02:002021-09-24T12:59:50+02:00Dalecarlia music awards 2017 - thank you for voting us all the way to the top! <3
<p>We won the "best live music experience" category at the <a title="Dalecarlia music awards 2017 winners" href="http://dalecarliamusicawards.com/arets-vinnare/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Dalecarlia Music Awards 2017</a>, thanks to all you wonderful people who voted for us! Thank you so much, we are eternally grateful! It was such a great night - you can watch our own (quite chaotic!) video from the awards ceremony here: <a title="Dalecarlia music awards 2017: our video from the ceremony" href="https://www.facebook.com/johnandsofiemusic/videos/1375149192542152/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">https://www.facebook.com/johnandsofiemusic/videos/1375149192542152/</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/ad40c49d2405e66d3392def89cd494922fbb4a8f/original/thank-youso-much.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjU1eDI0OSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="249" width="655" /></p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028632017-02-06T01:00:00+01:002017-02-06T08:41:02+01:00Johns veranda as a download album
<p>After the success of Johns veranda last autumn, we have decided to release all the audio tracks from the veranda as a free download album (although a veranda tip would be greatly appreciated)! Here is the link:</p>
<p><a href="http://noisetrade.com/johnandsofie/johns-veranda-vol-1" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://noisetrade.com/johnandsofie/johns-veranda-vol-1</a></p>
<p>Hope you like it! :)</p>
<p>John & Sofie</p>
<p>xx</p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028622017-01-30T01:00:00+01:002017-01-30T03:59:13+01:00New EP on Spotify!
<p>Our live EP with The Major Seconds, called Turning a corner, is now out on Spotify!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Listen, enjoy, share, and please follow us on Spotify as it will make a big difference when trying to spread our music!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a title="The Major Seconds on Spotify" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/6MX9HhUdzKmPpuQsSR8GGr" target="_blank" data-imported="1">https://open.spotify.com/album/6MX9HhUdzKmPpuQsSR8GGr</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Thank you so much! <3</p>
<p>Sofie, John, Anton, and Emil xx</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/5c8a22eea7810b49d726632d27f5b3d3799e79b4/original/the-major-seconds-dalatoppen.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTk4eDMzNyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="The Major Seconds at Live at Heart" height="337" width="598" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028612016-12-01T01:00:00+01:002022-01-27T05:36:02+01:00Johns veranda!
<p>Hi there!</p>
<p>Happy first of December! :) </p>
<p>We have been at home on our hill the whole autumn, and every Friday night we have been doing our Johns veranda video series! It's been so great, we have been absolutely blown away with the response we have had and with all the positive comments!</p>
<p>It's been an opportunity for us to play live in front of online, real-time audiences of up to 800 people, to connect with friends old and new, and to hear what people think of our music. And just to hang-out, be social, and share the music! We love it! <3</p>
<p>If you want to join us, go to <a title="Johns veranda on Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/johnandsofiemusic" target="_blank" data-imported="1">https://www.facebook.com/johnandsofiemusic</a>! </p>
<p>See you on John's veranda! </p>
<p>John & Sofie xx</p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028602016-03-06T01:00:00+01:002016-03-06T13:57:28+01:00Our Nashville trip on TV!
<p> </p>
<p>Dalavision has put together a really nice TV programme about our trip to Nashville last autumn!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Check it out here: <a title="Our Nashville trip on TV" href="http://www.dalavision.se/playsidan.php?filmid=25&time=0&quality=normal#videotop" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.dalavision.se/playsidan.php?filmid=25&time=0&quality=normal#videotop</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p></p>
<p><a title="Our Nashville trip on TV" href="http://www.dalavision.se/playsidan.php?filmid=25&time=0&quality=normal#videotop" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/13c80278b52a4c7a0265d6d13f9edd88cf3990da/original/screen-shot-2016-02-13-at-11-52-51.png/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTg2eDQwMCJd.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="400" width="586" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028592015-12-30T01:00:00+01:002016-01-24T10:21:26+01:00Beetroot salad from Wålstedts.... and happy new year!
<p> </p>
<p>Hej! Just in time for the new year celebrations, here is a fantastic recipe for an unusual beetroot salad! It's from Wålstedts, an organic farm near where we live in Sweden: <a title="Wålstedts" href="http://walstedtsgard.se/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://walstedtsgard.se/</a> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>WÅLSTEDTS RÖDBETSSALLAD</p>
<p>0.5 kg fresh beetroots</p>
<p>0.75 dl olive oil</p>
<p>2 table spoons (msk) soy sauce</p>
<p>1 dl salted peanuts</p>
<p>herbal salt (örtsalt)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>1) Boil the beetroots until soft (approx. 40 minutes).</p>
<p>2) Peel the beetroots and grate them into a bowl.</p>
<p>3) Add the peanuts.</p>
<p>4) Mix the soy sauce and olive oil and add to the salad.</p>
<p>5) Add herbal salt to taste.</p>
<p>6) Serve with for example oven roast potatoes.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I would like to share this recipe especially with Mr Jerry Vandiver, who was so kind to me in Nashville! He invited me for thanksgiving dinner with him, his beautiful wife Gracie, and their friends, and we spent the afternoon cooking vegan thanksgiving dishes. That's where I mentioned this salad, so here it is, Jerry! :)</p>
<p>Jerry and Gracie also invited me to the Bluebird Café to listen to Jerry sing, and I'm so grateful for that, because getting into the Bluebird, even to listen, is hard!! Thank you so much for your hospitality, Jerry and Gracie, it was such a great night! xx</p>
<p>PS. Watch Jerry sing his song fantastic For a Little While, made famous by Tim McGraw, below:</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zzdsEhKPz9E" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028582015-10-28T01:00:00+01:002015-11-16T17:44:19+01:00Nashville blog link
<p> </p>
<p>We are having such a great time in Nashville! Follow our Nashville blog here:</p>
<p><a title="Nashville blog" href="http://johnandsofie.tumblr.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://johnandsofie.tumblr.com/</a><br></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Här finns mer info på svenska:</p>
<p><a title="De gör resan de drömt om" href="http://www.dalademokraten.se/noje/de-gor-resan-de-dromt-om-folj-dalamusikernas-vistelse-i-nashville-har" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.dalademokraten.se/noje/de-gor-resan-de-dromt-om-folj-dalamusikernas-vistelse-i-nashville-har</a></p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028572015-07-23T02:00:00+02:002015-07-23T17:35:38+02:00Meeting Steve Earle in Stockholm....!
<p>On the 11 June 2013 we went to Nalen in Stockholm to see Steve Earle play.... We love Steve Earle, and his music has meant such a lot to the both of us.</p>
<p></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/1e1fd07d236ea12d424641273322f353bccc7ea7/original/dsc-0070.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjU4eDg3NiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="876" width="658" /></p>
<p></p>
<p>He played with The Dukes that night, and he played most of our favourites, like My old friend the blues, Guitar town, The rain came down, I ain't ever satisfied, Johnny come lately, The Galway Girl, and Ben McCulloch. It really was a magical night. The band was super hot, and Nalen is such an amazing venue.</p>
<p>And John had brought his Martin guitar, so afterwards we queued up to meet Steve and ask him to sign John's guitar.</p>
<p></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/23e0815ac30c8798587f5f22a97d98a3f26cabcb/original/dsc-0107.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjY5eDUwMiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="502" width="669" /></p>
<p></p>
<p>Steve was really interested in the guitar (it is a nice one!), and he even picked it up and played a bit of My old friend the blues on it....! And then he signed it on the back: "My old friend the blues - Steve Earle". Such a great night.</p>
<p></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/30c7772183078e26a965298f16a96ba49f6fd8f9/original/dsc-0106.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjY4eDUwMSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="501" width="668" /></p>
<p></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/faa00caec31480ac242bc8c46c989ef7954d1345/original/steve-earle-2013.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjY3eDUwMCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="500" width="667" /></p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/3085f59a8dfee21f985e8416e31f58d21b53fc5a/original/dsc-0111.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NjY3eDg4OCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="888" width="667" /></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>Here is a video from the night: <a href="https://youtu.be/KJtNsFri1ZA" target="_blank" data-imported="1">https://youtu.be/KJtNsFri1ZA</a></p>
<p>And another one: <a href="https://youtu.be/6DUyFAyNcWE" target="_blank" data-imported="1">https://youtu.be/6DUyFAyNcWE</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p></p>
<p><a href="http://steveearle.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://steveearle.com/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028562015-06-17T02:00:00+02:002015-06-22T13:49:40+02:00The Fabulous Rory Gallagher 1948-1995
<p> </p>
<p>A live take from one of my guitar idols. Rory Gallagher, such talent and energy. I bought a 10" vinyl of Shadow play in 1978 and it became my most prized of my record collection. RIP Rory, thanks for your music and inspiration. They don't make 'em like you anymore.</p>
<p>The band were a fabulous power trio and almost seemed to have supernatural powers of telepathy as a musical unit. All this at a time when there was no "fix in the mix" auto tune and only basic effects, these were either on or off. Rory often stated that he spent more time waiting to play than actually performing and he used this time to meet and spend time with his audience rather than be the aloof rock star. One of the great things I liked about Rory was that he would buy a ticket for a show of any performer he chose to see instead of being put on the guest list as he could have easily done. Rory Gallagher, musician and gentleman.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OIO4z7Z4nq4" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028552015-04-14T02:00:00+02:002015-04-14T09:09:01+02:00Found on the Wave by Green
<p>Have you checked out John's album from 1997 with the duo Green? If not, you can listen to it here: <a title="Found on the Wave by Green" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/3K9ZRL0pBYMkyXAhvScjl8" target="_blank" data-imported="1">https://open.spotify.com/album/3K9ZRL0pBYMkyXAhvScjl8</a></p>
<p>It contains all original songs by John, except one song by Robert Burns.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a title="FOund on the Wave by Green" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/3K9ZRL0pBYMkyXAhvScjl8" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/68128c3b6e0ffafb6706e7e814c2541a1abb1d44/original/screen-shot-2015-04-14-at-4-21-51-pm.png/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MjA4eDIwOCJd.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="208" width="208" /></a></p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028542015-03-11T01:00:00+01:002021-03-02T11:50:46+01:00Best bean burger recipe ever!
<p>Dear All,</p>
<p>Today I would like to share with you the best recipe for bean burgers that I have ever found! This "mince" is really easy too handle, doesn't fall apart, and it's beautiful to look at as well! :)</p>
<p>BILLY THE KID'S BEAN BURGERS (from the book <a href="http://www.adlibris.com/se/bok/vego-paradiso-en-smak-av-det-veganska-koket-9789127356931" target="_blank" data-imported="1">Vego Paradiso by Pia Hall</a>)</p>
<p>2 potatoes, boiled</p>
<p>1 yellow onion</p>
<p>oil</p>
<p>1 green pepper</p>
<p>2 cloves of garlic (although I usually use more than 2!)</p>
<p>1 tea spoon of ground chilli pepper</p>
<p>1 handful of dill (I use the frozen type)</p>
<p>1 tin of boiled red kidney beans</p>
<p>1 tin of boiled chickpeas</p>
<p>2 dl breadcrumbs</p>
<p>salt , black pepper</p>
<p> </p>
<p>First of all, boil 2 potatoes. Then chop an onion in as small pieces as you can manage and fry it in oil (I prefer rapeseed oil). Then chop a green pepper, and add it to the onion when the onion has turned golden brown. Press the garlic into the mix in the frying pan. Add the chilli powder. Fry until the pepper is soft. Remove the frying pan from the ring and add the dill.</p>
<p>Mash the kidney beans and the chickpeas in a bowl with a fork. Add the potatoes and mash them too. Add the veggie mix from the frying pan. Add half the breadcrumbs. Add salt and pepper. Mix everything up with your hands.</p>
<p>Shape the "mince" into burgers, dip them in the breadcrumbs and fry on medium heat.</p>
<p>Enjoy! Best bean burgers ever! :)</p>
<p>Sofie xx</p>
<p> </p>
<p>PS. Do you have another bean burger recipe that might rival this one? Let me know!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028532015-02-01T01:00:00+01:002015-02-01T03:39:55+01:00Introducing: John's guitars. Part 2.
<p>I know, all guitars sound the same, right? Just like a tradesperson has specific tools for a certain job so can instruments affect the sound quality of any music track, piece, style, or song. I am very proud to have my acoustic guitars in giving me a choice of tone, timbre, sound, and feel. I do hope this goes someway to providing a sound and visual comparison when considering listening or buying an acoustic guitar.</p>
<p>I would be glad to answer any questions that anyone may have or offer any advice if I can be of assistance.</p>
<p>Until the next blog post I hope this finds everyone well. See you in the next post!</p>
<p>Warm regards,</p>
<p>John and Sofie.x</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1zKZKb3ozjs" width="560" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028522015-01-08T01:00:00+01:002015-01-08T09:37:21+01:00Introducing: John's guitars. Part 1.
<p>John has gathered a few guitars over the years, but in this video, he will show you his two main guitars: his Martin J65M and his Bourgeois Soloist.</p>
<p>The Martin is the one he usually plays live - it's been his workhorse for the last 20 years. We've lost count of the number of times people have commented on how amazing this guitar sounds. It was imported from the US by Kenny Johnson in Shetland, and John bought it from Noel Rocks in Edinburgh.</p>
<p>The Bourgeois Soloist John bought a couple of years ago, since he needed a smaller guitar with a wider neck, so better suited for finger-picking.</p>
<p>Check out the video below to learn more!</p>
<p>Lots of love,</p>
<p>John & Sofie xx</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p>
<div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Mts8GZ5TjS8" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028512014-11-14T01:00:00+01:002015-01-08T08:04:31+01:00Long live The Cross-Eyed Gals!
<p>Hej!</p>
<p>When I lived in Scotland I used to be in a band called The Cross-Eyed Gals. At first it was me, Liza Mulholland, and Claire Campbell (from the brilliant band Abagail Grey), then it was just me and Liza, and then it was me, Liza, and John (as the "honorary gal"!). We played quite a few gigs, and did mostly our own songs as well as covers, like Lucinda Williams and Stacey Earle. We haven't had a chance to play together for the last few years, but I think we all hope that one of these days..... we'll get another chance to play music together!</p>
<p>Here's one of Liza's beautiful songs, with Liza on vocals and piano, John on guitar, and me on harmony vocals:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><iframe frameborder="0" height="90" src="//media.myspace.com/play/song/when-next-you-see-me-81825836-90142814" width="300"></iframe></p>
<p><a href="https://myspace.com/thecrosseyedgals/music/song/when-next-you-see-me-81825836-90142814" data-imported="1">When next you see me</a> from <a href="https://myspace.com/thecrosseyedgals" data-imported="1">The Cross-Eyed Gals</a> on <a href="https://myspace.com" data-imported="1">Myspace</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And do check out Liza's band Dorec-a-belle - thay have a new album out and it's very very good:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.dorec-a-belle.com/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.dorec-a-belle.com/</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028502014-10-07T02:00:00+02:002020-01-15T13:47:59+01:00Who is Christopher Börjars?
<p>So some of you may have seen the name "Christopher Börjars" on the back of our CD's. But who is he? Well, not only is he our producer, recording technician, and close friend, he is also the best musician I have ever met, who writes the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful lyrics, and the catchiest melodies.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>In 1999, his band Sound Express won the Swedish dansband championships. His band Hôss has taken on the gigantic task of copying the musical output of Kiss, in detail, in chronological order, and "in the style of": studio albums, live albums, and solo albums, but with original material. (And their own stage outfits!) Christopher is currently working on a solo album of songs in Swedish under the name of Vintervik.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Christopher is a prolific songwriter, a fantastic performer on stage, and he's fast and accurate by the mixing desk. He is so nice about helping out with arrangements, and he's added some beautiful harmony vocals, bass guitar, and piano to our recordings. We really can't thank him enough for his help and support, and we wish him all the best for his future musical adventures!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You can listen to some of his music below!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A song from Christopher's band The Grounds:</p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3pqImNV8Y0M" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A song from his Vintervik project of songs in Swedish: </p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4hx9BFRYFoQ" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Some info on Hôss:</p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KKDMtvgQlhY" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And one of his songs in Swedish that me and John have had the privilege to join him on:</p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ImI36MZJcb0" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>More info here: <a href="http://vintervik.se/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://vintervik.se/</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028482014-09-09T02:00:00+02:002021-08-12T17:32:18+02:00John and Sofie walk the Vasaloppsleden... almost!
<p>On Sunday 17 August me and John set out from Berga in Sälen to walk the Vasaloppsleden to Mora. Vasaloppsleden is the hiking path where the Vasaloppet ski race also takes place in March every year, as well as the Cykelvasan mountain bike race in the summer. I'd been wanting to do this walk for a few years, and finally we managed to get it organised. Before we headed off I tried to find as much information about the walk as possible on the Internet, but I didn't find very much of use, so I thought I'd make a blog post about our hike in case anyone else is interested!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/7dc701753facc82afea119df5c2c3d4aa2a9a38c/original/p8170064.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDIweDMxNSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="315" width="420" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>From what I'd heard beforehand, three days would be suitable for the hike: 34 km the first day (Berga-Risberg), 35 km the second (Risberg-Prästskogsstugan), and 21 km the final day (Prästskogsstugan-Mora). However, it soon became apparent that our planning had been too ambitious, because my first blister appeared after 6 km, and by the end of day 1, when we had only reached Tennäng (29 km), both my feet were covered in blisters..... Also, it was pouring down with rain, and we were both pretty tired. Our rucksacks were really heavy, because despite thinking that we had brought sensible, light food, it turned out that bananas and apples and glass jars of taco sauce weigh more than you might think..... But, the overnight cabin in Tennäng turned out to be luxury accommodation, with a fire stove, water from a tap outside, a well-kept dry toilet with lots of loo roll, a big pan to boil water in on top of the stove, and even ready chopped fire wood in the cabin! (Usually you need to chop your own wood, but there is wood provided in sheds by each cabin, along with a saw and an axe). So after some nice food, and with the wood stove going, we were warm, cosy, and happy, and we slept really well.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/41f4c360a4fe21f8d994507344a3331f4ac4ed1b/original/p8180069.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDIyeDMxNyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="317" width="422" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/c8d94fa6cc42278cfd199e4684c0a8046dcde7f6/original/p8180067.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDI0eDMxNyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="317" width="424" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The next day my feet were still really bad, but I persevered with my fancy hiking boots, even though they were killing me, and we only made it the 13 km to Sundetkojan in Evertsberg. This cabin is supposedly one of the nicest along the route, though, due to its location by a beautiful lake, so we weren't too disappointed. We washed our poor feet in the cold, fresh water, got the fire going, did some cow calling out on the jetty, and had a lovely meal. (By the way, staying in the cabins cost SEK50 per person per night and can be paid at the Vasaloppet office afterwards).</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/7e64f2e56c799167753bbe0916fa0143e442d734/original/p8190079.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDMxeDMyNCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="324" width="431" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>On our final day, we walked the 6 km into Evertsberg and hitchhiked home. I wore my trainers this day and realised that I'd rather have wet feet than blisters, so if I were to try this hike again I would only bring my trainers, and maybe a pair of sandals for the evenings. The trainers easily dry in front of the stove overnight. I think that to do the Vasaloppsleden in an enjoyable tempo, you'd need to spend at least five days. That would still mean 18 km per days, on average, which is still quite a lot with heavy luggage. I made the mistake of planning according to how far I am able to walk in a day without a heavy rucksack, but it's a completely different thing carrying lots of luggage on your back. Also, the next time I would definitely make sure that I brought dry food only.... On a walk like this you realise how little you actually need, and how every single thing adds up, and you really need to keep the weight to an absolute minimum... So think dried fruit, dried soya mince sauce that only needs water added, noodles, nuts, dry sesame bars, etc.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/dfa9f10fb780317610c502b53de2907dfad8f9ea/original/p8190087.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDMweDU3NSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="575" width="430" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>I found it hard to figure out a good, sensible schedule for the walk though (for any future attempts), i.e. how far to walk each day and what cabins to stay over in. It seems like however you look at it, if you want to avoid walking really far some days, you end up walking really short distances some days..... Please leave a comment if you have any good suggestions for dividing this route into sensible chunks!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>So finally, here are a couple of lists to help you on the way, based on our experience of walking the Vasaloppsleden! Feel free to get in touch with any questions in case you're thinking about trying it out yourself!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>THINGS TO BRING (I.E. ALL THE THINGS I WOULD BRING NEXT TIME):</p>
<p>- GOOD hiking boots, that you've tested properly on previous walks</p>
<p>- Walking trousers/leggings (avoid long loose ones that get wet and flop around your legs)</p>
<p>- 2 hiking tops</p>
<p>- 2 pairs of hiking socks (avoid cotton)</p>
<p>- 1 pair of cosy socks to wear in the evenings</p>
<p>- 1 vest (to wear in the evenings and/or sleep in)</p>
<p>- 1 pair of cosy, soft, elastic shorts (to wear in the evenings)</p>
<p>- 1 T-shirt to change into in the evening</p>
<p>- 1 pair of leggings (which can also double up as long-johns)</p>
<p>- 1 warmer top</p>
<p>- 1 hiking jacket</p>
<p>- Rain jacket and rain trousers</p>
<p>- Trainers or flip-flops</p>
<p>- Hat and gloves (thin sports ones, or even gardening ones that can be use for chopping wood as well)</p>
<p>- Swim wear (although skinny dipping is probably ok too!)</p>
<p>- A rain cover for your rucksack, or lots of plastic bags to pack the contents into as water proofing</p>
<p>- 1 small bath towel (we brought one each but could easily have shared one)</p>
<p>- THIN sleeping bag, maybe even just a simple travel sheet (the cabins get really warm)</p>
<p>- Soap, deodorant, tooth brush, tooth paste, face lotion, hair brush, foot lotion, tiger balm, in as small containers as possible (make sure you share as many of these items as possible - no point carrying around a soap each!)</p>
<p>- Make sure as much as possible of your food is dry food!</p>
<p>- Small bottle of olive oil</p>
<p>- Small camping stove (ours included pots and a small frying pan) and lighting fluid</p>
<p>- Fire lighters</p>
<p>- Lighter or matches</p>
<p>- 1 plastic cup and 1 plastic bowl (can double as a type of chopping board) each, cutlery</p>
<p>- 1 water bottle (enough for 2 people to share - there are lots of places to refill your bottle)</p>
<p>- Plenty of thin rubbish bags</p>
<p>- Washing up liquid (in a small bottle) + washing towel (there are washing up brushes in the cabins)</p>
<p>- Some aluminium foil (can be used as a lid or a trivet)</p>
<p>- Camera</p>
<p>- 1 loo roll (all toilets were stocked with lots of toilet roll)</p>
<p>- Anti-mosquito spray</p>
<p>- Map (do invest in the proper hiking map (can be purchased from the Vasaloppet office or the tourist office in Sälen) - the sign-posting is great but even so, it's easy to take a wrong turn and lose hours)</p>
<p>- Ear plugs</p>
<p>- Sun block</p>
<p>- Plasters</p>
<p>- A ground pad to sit on (quite nice during breaks)</p>
<p>- Pocket knife</p>
<p>- Head torch (one each, and make sure they contain new batteries)</p>
<p>- Mobile phone</p>
<p> </p>
<p>THINGS TO AVOID TAKING:</p>
<p>- Bad shoes!</p>
<p>- Mirror (there are mirrors in most cabins, and you don't really need them anyway)</p>
<p>- A tin whistle (although it was quite entertaining to hear John try and play it!)</p>
<p>- Thick sleeping bags (thin sleeping bags or just a "sleeping pouch" is enough - the cabins get really hot)</p>
<p>- Too many T-shirts to wear in the evenings</p>
<p>- All food that isn't dry, really</p>
<p>- Only bring as much coffee as you're actually going to use</p>
<p>- Glass jars</p>
<p>- Metal jars</p>
<p>- Pens (there are pens in all cabins)</p>
<p>- Pillows (I was really comfy without one)</p>
<p>- Mattress (there are mattresses in the cabins)</p>
<p>- Candles (there are candles in some cabins)</p>
<p>- Watch (you'll see the time on your mobile phone anyway)</p>
<p>- Jewellery</p>
<p>- Large wallet (just keep money and cards in a plastic bag)</p>
<p>- Tape</p>
<p>- Unnecessary maps</p>
<p>- Fresh apples and bananas - bring dried fruit instead</p>
<p>- Reflector vests (you don't really walk on the road anyway)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Happy hiking, and take care,</p>
<p>Sofie and John</p>
<p>xx</p>
<p> </p>
<p>PS. Here are a couple of links for web pages with more info and pictures:</p>
<p><a title="Video from Vasaloppsleden" href="https://youtu.be/eTvv8SMbWqc" target="_blank" data-imported="1">https://youtu.be/eTvv8SMbWqc</a> (in Swedish)</p>
<p><a href="http://stenfeldt.se/vasaloppsleden.htm" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://stenfeldt.se/vasaloppsleden.htm </a>(in Swedish)</p>
<p><a href="http://erikwickstrom.se/2011/07/14/vandring-pa-vasaloppsleden-%E2%80%93-jattefint-och-jattelangt/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://erikwickstrom.se/2011/07/14/vandring-pa-vasaloppsleden-%E2%80%93-jattefint-och-jattelangt/</a> (in Swedish)</p>
<p><a href="http://www.vasaloppet.se/wps/wcm/connect/en/vasaloppet/start/visitor/vasaloppsarenan/" target="_blank" data-imported="1">http://www.vasaloppet.se/wps/wcm/connect/en/vasaloppet/start/visitor/vasaloppsarenan/</a> (in English and Swedish)</p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028492014-08-28T02:00:00+02:002015-01-08T10:29:05+01:00"Through the Pines" DADGAD tuning tutorial
<p>Hello all,</p>
<p>I have made a wee film in the form of an open tuned guitar tutorial to accompany a video of one of our compositions called "Through the Pines" which we hope you might find some inspiration in, or simply enjoy! The film has some chords and features guitar "tapping", or right hand fretting, and I hope to be able to feature the whole piece if this is something that you would like? As always your feedback is very welcome and any questions or points that you may have are of great value to us. Many thanks for watching and being part of this journey!</p>
<p>Warmest regards (as always) from us,</p>
<p>John and Sofie x</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4dcUdAAlfx0" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028472014-07-24T02:00:00+02:002015-01-08T10:29:26+01:00The new musical adventures of Mr Ulf Nygårds
<p> </p>
<p>Did you ever wonder what happened to the talented Mr Ulf Nygårds from Lima, Sweden, who used to play a lot of gigs with me and John? Yes? I thought we'd update you on his current musical adventures by sharing with you his latest song and video!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When he's not playing the lute or practising the church organ, Ulf is creating progressive rock music together with Roland Skogmo from Rörbäcksnäs, under the band name Powerty Patent. This project really gives him a chance to participate in all the parts of the creation process, as he's playing most of the instruments himself, writing the melodies, and the lyrics together with Roland.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Here's the video for their beautiful song On a Beam:</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q9IwGFslSC0" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And here's a video from a gig we did with Ulf at the Vildros festival in Horndal last summer:</p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><div class="video responsive"><div class="video-container"><iframe frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0rX0nt8KYQY" width="425" class="wrapped wrapped"></iframe></div></div></div></div>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hope you like!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sofie xx</p>
<p> </p>
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028462014-05-21T02:00:00+02:002020-01-15T13:47:51+01:00Fiddle and guitar videos to inspire
<p>Greetings from Edinburgh!</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p> We have just arrived in Edinburgh and are preparing for our gigs in Glasgow this weekend - very exciting!</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p> The day before we headed off to Scotland I did a phone interview for a local newspaper, and as I was trying to explain what type of music we play (which is always tricky, I think), I got the question "so it's basically folk music you play?" I ended up replying yes to that question, because after all, is it possible to play acoustic music without there being an element of folk music present? Of course, there are so many different types of folk music, as well, and there's certainly Scottish, Swedish, and American folk styles showing up in our music, and maybe other styles, too. And maybe you could call all types of music folk music? After all, we are all folks playing music!</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p> Here are a couple of videos of music that have strongly inspired me and John to play the music we play today.</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p> Eileen Ivers' album <em>Wild Blue</em> was the first fiddle album I ever heard and it totally blew me away. I remember sitting with my jaw dropped the whole way through the first listen, and it made me decide to do anything to learn to play the fiddle. Here she is, just her, her fiddle, and two great reels:</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://youtu.be/ot4F2VOJJKQ" target="_blank" data-imported="1"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/82ed1c9038d27b851541325de4ad87876c40db46/original/screen-shot-2014-05-21-at-8-54-46-am.png/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NTMxeDMyMiJd.png" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="322" width="531" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>One of John's inspirations is Michael Hedges. I think you can hear some similarities:</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
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<p>What do you think - is it possible to play acoustic music without admitting to playing folk music? And is all music folk music?</p>
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<p>Sofie</p>
<p>xx</p>
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John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028452014-05-04T02:00:00+02:002017-04-20T16:34:45+02:00Behind the scenes: the Leaving Carolina video
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<p>Hello everyone!</p>
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<p>We hope you have all seen our video for Leaving Carolina by now - if not, watch it here: <a title="Leaving Carolina video on youtube" href="https://youtu.be/B0qKFvkgjTs" target="_blank" data-imported="1">https://youtu.be/B0qKFvkgjTs</a></p>
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<p>We made the video in April, and to turn it into a bit of a challenge we decided to go to a bothy on top of the hill behind where we live. John packed a sled with our equipment, and we put our instruments on our backs and headed up the hill. By the time we were finished it had gone really dark and we realised that it was too dark to see the red crosses we were meant to follow to get off the hill. Fortunately, John had packed head torches, just as a last thought, and thanks to them we could see the reflectors on the crosses. Otherwise we might have had to go back to the bothy and spend the night there...</p>
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<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/d5aab5c0d4824b78d0dfb5189b8790b4e1cabb05/original/p4160065.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzcxeDQ5NCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="494" width="371" /></p>
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<p>John got the worst deal with the sled......</p>
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<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/b5446286cd51c67d7c67bb9d681fecd8b9bd1422/original/p4160068.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6MzcweDQwMSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="401" width="370" /></p>
<p>The steepest bit....</p>
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<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/e4d4c6a224ecaa55120e868f85327c47ad01915c/original/p4160079.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Mzc0eDQ5OCJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="498" width="374" /></p>
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<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/05de5bacfdc203a6d231dda44c064d7ad814588b/original/p4160080.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDk1eDM3MSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="371" width="495" /></p>
<p>The view towards Tandådalen and Hundfjället.</p>
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<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/0268c45e8f118445f1e5ebdb8c11cdd69494558f/original/p4160090.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6Mzc5eDUwNiJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="506" width="379" /></p>
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<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/c01eec2ea45c0e994a9b922fe8a6ef04954dc39e/original/p4160096.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDkzeDMwNSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="305" width="493" /></p>
<p>Närfjällsstugan</p>
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<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/4658dd2c7b6d6b7462a96ef77a782a0351608211/original/p4160099.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDkweDMwOSJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="309" width="490" /></p>
<p>So much snow!</p>
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<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/396447/76ec0057d02f9025b01cd44eccd1735dd30f26b0/original/p4160114.jpg/!!/b%3AWyJyZXNpemU6NDg5eDM2NyJd.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="367" width="489" /></p>
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<p>Hope you like the video!</p>
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<p>Sofie</p>
<p>xx</p>
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John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028442014-04-20T02:00:00+02:002015-02-02T19:42:28+01:00More Dixie Chicks from Oslo!
<p>Hi everyone!</p>
<p>As you know from the last blog post, I went to see the Dixie Chicks in Oslo on 18 March, and I've been meaning to make a video of all the bits of filming I did during the night. And here it is! It's a bit shaky, because it's hard to stand still when you listen to these fab gals, and the dancing got in the way of the filming.... :) But here's a sample of what they played anyway! I was so lucky to stand right in front of Martie - I really think her fiddle playing is like nothing else. And the singing and the harmonies are of course top class, just like the rest of the band!</p>
<p>Enjoy!!</p>
<p>Sofie</p>
<p>xx</p>
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John Mitchell & Sofie Jonssontag:johnandsofie.com,2005:Post/61028432014-03-20T01:00:00+01:002020-01-15T13:47:49+01:00Duelling fiddle and guitar with the Dixie Chicks in Oslo
<p>It's not often nowadays that I get to go and see a concert, but on Tuesday night we drove 3,5 hours south-west to Oslo to go and see the Dixie Chicks. Well, John chose to go for some tunes in the Irish session at The Dubliner, but I headed for the Spektrum and the Dixie Chicks girls. Their album "Fly" was one of the first albums that really got me hooked on American music in the early 2000's, and I've listened to it A LOT. It's sold over 8 million copies in the US only, and Martie Maguire's top notch fiddle playing has always been an inspiration to me. Their intensity, rebelliousness, and confidence is also impressive, and something that I aspire to. Their guitar player in Olso was Keith Sewell - I'd never heard of him before but he was very good indeed. Plays with Ricky Skaggs and Lyle Lovett, apparently. "Machine gun picking", was John's comment when he saw this video. Yup. Just mind-blowing. Enjoy!</p>
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<p>PS. If you ever go to Oslo, remember this:</p>
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<p>1. Don't bring your car. The parking fees are ridiculous, and you don't want to pay a huge fine for your studded winter tyres...</p>
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<p>2. Check out the Tripadvisor reviews before you book your accommodation! If you had checked the reviews beforehand, you would have discovered comments such as "not for the faint-hearted", or "the worst hostel I've ever been to", and you would very probably have stayed somewhere else. But, then again, you would be one experience poorer.</p>
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<p>3. Do check out the viking ship museum - it's absolutely beautiful.</p>
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John Mitchell & Sofie Jonsson