MY FRIEND THE SUN
... is a Norwegian duo of Ole Tom Torjussen (keyboards, synths, bass, drums) and Eivind S. Johansen (vocals, guitars, oud). Ole Tom is a drummer and producer from Oslo who runs HOD Records. Eivind is a writer and musician from Bergen who was the leader of Kosmoratik, a symphonic pop/rock band.
Who are the artists behind "My Friend the Sun" and how did you get into music?
We are a duo; Ole Tom Torjussen and myself; Eivind Johansen. We both got hit by the magic of music at a very young age; and that magic and wonder has never left us. It’s a language that we’re still trying to learn. Ole Tom has been playing drums in quite a few a few bands in Norway - like the band «Seven» that he formed with singer Annette Gil.
My background is more of a singer and songwriter. In «My Friend The Sun» we play all the instruments, do the recording and mixing ourselves. And we want to share the music as directly as possible to listeners anywhere and everywhere.
“The Orchestra of Life” is convincing with an impressive atmosphere and its lyrics. What’s the story behind the song?
The idea that every person is carrying one special tone - and that the mission in life is to express that note - comes from a book called «The Mysticism of sound and music» by Hazrat Inayat Khan. It’s an idea that many artists have been intrigued by. I wrote the words and played the basic piano parts. Ole Tom play all the other instruments and did the arrangement. The outro was added quite late in the recording process, but it kind of sums up the message. It’s an important song for us.
If you take a look back at music history, what would you call the last “big thing”?
That’s a difficult question. We tend to look at modern music from mostly a western perspective. In that way we overlook so much music being created other places in the world. I also think that some instruments, like the guitar is somewhat overused.
There are so many other string-instruments available, like the oud, the saz or the rubab to name a few. And we have gotten so customized to certain modes and sounds. I really appreciate when genres are lifted and musicians from different parts of the world play music together. I see that happen from time to time, and I enjoy that.
What’s the hardest part of being indie, in your opinion?
There is the heavy pull from the entertainment industry that music should be in specific ways, to be commercial and to sell. I think being indie is about resisting that and doing things your own way, following the heart and letting your tone and music be heard, because you are the unique voice. But it can be difficult resisting that pull. Music is free and nobody owns music.
Creating music can happen anywhere. In that way the rehearsal space or an informal jam-session may be just as important as a profiled concert somewhere.
Are there any plans to play some gigs with My Friend the Sun?
Unfortunately, not yet. But we would love to share the music in a live setting.
What’s next for you?
We hope to release 2 or 3 mini-albums this year of songs that have been recorded, and we’re working on new stuff as well. It’s a continuous process, and we’re so happy with all the positive response we’ve got this far. It’s been very, very encouraging, and I am all grateful for that.
